This article is cited in 8 papers

Experimental Instruments and Methods

Fluctuation limitations on the voxel minimal size at laser nanopolymerization

A. V. Pikulin, N. M. Bityurin

Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhni Novgorod, 603950, Russia

Abstract: Laser (or two-photon) nanopolymerization is an effective way of producing 3D polymeric submicron structures. The mainstream in developing this technology is improvement of the spatial resolution of nano-objects. Fluctuation-induced inhomogeneities are studied as the main physical reason limiting the spatial resolution of polymeric structures obtained by nanopolymerization. Typically, complex polymeric structures have the form of a raster composed of many elements, voxels, about 100 nm across. Monte Carlo simulation of a spherically symmetric polymeric voxel is carried out. It is shown that, when the voxel size becomes less than critical, the position and size of a voxel vary from realization to realization (become irreproducible). This effect is attributed to the disappearance of the voxel’s core–part of a voxel that has macroscopic properties. Irreproducible formation of the single voxels may lead to distortions of the fine features of complex microstructures and, hence, to a deterioration of the spatial resolution. Estimates are made of the minimal size of voxels that can be reproducibly produced in real laser experiments.

Received: 01.02.2011
Accepted: 05.07.2011

 English version: Technical Physics, 2012, 57:5, 697–705

Bibliographic databases:

•