Pattern transfer to silicon by microcontact printing and RIE

Microcontact printing techniques employing self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers in the production of metal masks have been combined with CF₄/O₂ reactive ion etch for subsequent pattern transfer to silicon. Silicon feature sizes of about 300 nm have been demonstrated. Some inadequacies in the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)-formed metal masks have been characterized by electron microscopy. Particularly, nickel etch control and metal feature edge definition remain problems to be solved if the process is to be employed in submicron feature production. Nickel patterns produced in the process and used as masks without the gold overlayer were successful as masks in the reactive ion etching (RIE) process. They also appear to give a somewhat improved edge definition over processes in which the gold layer remains.