Sandra Steele, Educational Consultant

Nanolithography comes to Pacific Lutheran University

May 11, 2007

The “nano-Rose,” as Waldow jokingly calls it, measures less than half the diameter of a human hair, and it cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Waldow used the chemistry’s department newest piece of equipment – an atomic force microscope – to scratch the outline of the logo into the surface of a compact disc. The cutting-edge process is referred to as nanolithography.

“It’s kinda cool,” Waldow said. “The university can think in terms of ‘mega’ versus ‘nano’ in terms of endowments.”

Unlike traditional microscopes, the atomic force microscope works through touch. A 10-nanometer pinpoint tip taps along the surface of a sample in parallel lines, similar to the stylus on a phonograph machine, and translates an image of the sample’s surface to a computer screen, Waldow said.

The pinpoint tip is at the end of an arm, called a cantilever. In nanolithography, additional force is applied to the cantilever arm, which causes the pinpoint tip to scratch the surface of the sample. The microscope’s lithography feature allows Waldow to upload an image that is then scratched into the surface in a series of lines.

Waldow began creating the tiniest PLU logo by tracing an outline of the Rose Window and uploading that outline to the microscope. Next, he found a fairly flat spot on a centimeter-by-centimeter square from a cut-up CD and put the microscope to work. It took 146 lines and about half an hour of drawing time to complete the image.

The scratches created piles of debris on either side of the line, which are more visible than the line itself. The process is similar to drawing a plow through a field with the displaced dirt piling on either side of the trench, Waldow explained.

While the tiny logo doesn’t have many practical uses, the microscope’s ability to scratch the surface of a sample does, he said. The feature will allow investigators to change the surface of matter or break the bonds between molecules, which will lead to further research.

“Being able to manipulate matter on the nanometer scale helps us understand our world,” Waldow said. “More manipulation of matter leads to more scientific questions.”

The coloring of the image at the right is based on the various heights of the lines and debris. Waldow is in the process of posting a gallery on the chemistry department’s Web site at www.chem.plu.edu.

The microscope was installed at PLU over spring break. Read more about it http://news.plu.edu/node/1668.