NSCRIPTOR getting started guide - Stevens Institute of Technology
Contents
1. You may now approach the sample and put the pen into feedback control Approaching the sample Use the following procedure to bring the pen to the substrate and under feedback control Note Be sure you have performed a laser red dot alignment before using this procedure see Laser red dot alignment on page 28 l In the Video Motors tab on the right side of the Instrument window use the focus controls to bring the pen into focus on the video monitor Focus Click once to move all the way A to the top of the Z focus motor s A range Click to move motor up or down Click here to __ by one step Hold stop this down to move movement F multiple steps 15 um Step size Be careful not to drive the lens all the way into the scanner 2 While carefully monitoring the pen sample distance by eye or on the live video use the z motor controls to lower the scanner until the pen is about 1 mm above the sample surface z All A E Pl Thun 3 Now focus the video on the sample surface and make sure the pen appears near the center of the live video image You can move the video objective to center the cantilever Page 30 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 4 In the Stage Control tab on the left side of the window use these step controls to move the sample until the area you want to work on appears on the video monitor 5 A Step Size 25 um T up Speed a Y2. _DPNWriter NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 2 Preface All information herein is the property of Nanolnk Inc All unauthorized use and reproduction is prohibited Copyright 2002 2005 Nanolnk Inc All rights reserved This product has been built to the high standards of Nanolnk Inc Any use or operation of this product in contravention of this document is at your own risk By accepting this product you hereby assume all liability consequent to your use or misuse of this product NanoInk Inc assumes no liability for incidental special or consequential damage of any kind Specifications applications and options are subject to change at the sole discretion of NanoInk Inc without notice Nanolnk Inc makes every effort to ensure that this document is accurate but the information it contains is subject to change without notice NanoInk Inc makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose Nanolnk Inc shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material USS patents 6 635 311 6 642 129 and 6 827 979 Taiwan patents NI 150 875 and NI 190 487 U S and international patents pending Portions of this document Pacific Nanotechnology Inc and ThermoMicroscopes Veeco Nanolnk Inc 1335 W Randolph St Chicago IL
3. please follow laser safety control measures in American National Standards Institute Z136 1 1986 Wherever high voltage is present on the system extreme care should always be taken to avoid direct contact while the instrument hardware 1s powered on Always power off the equipment before attempting to remove any panels or PC boards and before touching any connectors by hand or with electrically conductive tools Many of the chemicals used in the DPN process are corrosive or otherwise dangerous if not used properly Always use approved protective gloves goggles and lab coats At Nanolnk we value our customers and their satisfaction with our products If you are having technical difficulties with any aspect of our products please contact us or your distributor for customers outside the U S Here is how you can contact Nanolnk e Send e mail to support nanoink net e Call at 312 525 2900 Monday through Friday between 8 00 AM and 5 00 PM Central time e Fax anytime 312 525 2972 When e mailing telephoning or faxing Nanolnk or your distributor please provide or have available the following information e Your name and contact information e 3 or 4 digit software version number 5 19 2005 Page 3 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide e Date of purchase e Precise technical information about the problem including detailed error messages and error code e What you were doing and what happened when the problem occurred e Ho
4. 60607 312 525 2900 312 525 2972 fax www nanoink net support nanoink net Please send comments on this document to documentation nanoink net Nanolnk the Nanolnk logo Dip Pen Nanolithography DPN DPN Write DPN Writer NSCRIPTOR InkCAD InkCal NanoWord InkAlign InkMap InkFinder Inkwell Nanoscale Experimenters Test System NETS Active Pens and NS Active are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nanolnk Inc Microsoft and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Acrobat is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Inc All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Revision log NSCRIPTOR quick procedure guide Revision Date Description of changes A 1 2005 First version of this document for InkCAD v3 2 and NSCRIPTOR user manual version G or later 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide safety statement LASER OPERATION AFM SCANNING HEAD LASER LASER LIGHT AVOID DIRECT EYE CONTACT Getting technical support WARNING NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE LASER BEAM IN ORDER TO AVOID THE POSSIBILITY OF THE USER INADVERTENTLY LOOKING INTO THE LASER ALWAYS USE THE SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE TO SWITCH THE LASER OFF BEFORE RAISING THE HEAD TO EYE LEVEL The diode laser in the NSCRIPTOR scanning head complies with US 21 CFR 1040 10 and is certified as a Class Ia laser The laser wavelength is 670nm and the maximum power is 3 mW In addition to the above
5. draws the specified pattern on the substrate It then opens the Instrument window and images the test pattern See InkCal part 1 Choose options draw and scan test pattern 2 You import the selected scan into InkCal and analyze it marking the outlines of the drawn dots and lines From this information InkCal measures their actual sizes See InkCal part 2 Analyze the test pattern 3 To finish the process InkCal graphs the experimental data and computes the calibration coefficients If saved properly InkCAD uses these coefficients to Page 34 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide InkCal part 1 Choose options draw and scan test pattern calculate the dot dwell times and line drawing speeds for drawing your pattern See InkCal part 3 Fit to a curve and display the results Open InkCal by clicking on the WS button in the main InkCAD window Set the Calibration Pattern in the middle of the InkCal window to Dots and Lines Click on the button to start drawing the test pattern A Lithography Started status message appears at the bottom of the window Two things happen when pattern drawing is done The Lithography Started message changes to Lithography Done and the Instrument window opens for you to make an SPM scan of the completed pattern Click on the Instrument window s Scan button on the right side of the window to begin the scan The left side of the window shows various images as the system scans
6. icon appears in this button Fit Curve If this icon does not appear you will see the ink diffusion curve for the data set from which InkCal has calculated the calibration coefficients Data Help Dots Lines a Dn NN Ink Ink 4 Inverse Speed s um Name Ink 4 Calibration Parar Description El Ink Model Linear E Dot 4 0 050t Dot Diffusi 0 050 ur s El Line w 0 054 v Line Diffus 0 054 um s Repeat Mc Stacked I Lan ote Ot ua Target Layers v Laver 1 wl Laver 2 0 22 5 21 10 13 Fit Curve TEE Save tE Concel Ansnnssnssnssnsssnssnnensenussnssnssnsssnnsene wn ppi aur 2 Important To save the calibration data and use it for DPN drawing close InkCal by clicking on the Save amp Exit button If you do not use this button to close InkCal you will lose the new calibration coefficients This is the end of the ink calibration process 5 19 2005 Page 39 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 40 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Drawing the pattern The drawing status window About the feedback status Drawing and seeing the results You are now ready to draw the example pattern on the sample and scan the drawn pattern to see how it turns out With the pattern designed the sample and instrument ready for drawing and the ink calibration complete click on the main InkCAD window s Start Lithography button dee The DPN drawing status window sho
7. in the mount s small recess Lift the block s rotating cover The pen clip is now ready to install in the scanner head The pen replacement procedure uses the DPN stage s rotating scanner head which turns toward you to expose the pen substrate This is the procedure for replacing a pen l 2 Page 24 Positioning the scanner head Start by opening the InkCAD Instrument window if it is not already open Go to the Video Motors tab and click on the Exchange button Kr an Exchange InkCAD displays this small window ip Exchange Fress the Stow button to initiate the tip exchange procedure Click on Stow The system uses the z motors to lift the pen The Stow button also changes to Restore Do not click on it until told to do so later in this procedure Being careful not to touch the pen slide the sample puck towards you and then lift it up out of the groove that holds it on the stage 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 3 Turn the pen exchange knobs on the side of the scanner head down away from you 1 4 turn The scanner head should slide out a short distance For safety the laser shuts off automatically as you do this 4 Grasp the handles on the front of the scanner head and gently pull the head all the way toward you 5 19 2005 Page 25 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide This puts the scanner head in this position ea riOn et S N 2 red Aion E grure Las This F Fro
8. mode the cantilever deflects bends when the pen tip comes into contact with the sample surface An aligned laser beam reflects off the back side of the cantilever and hits a 4 part position sensitive photodetector PSPD The PSPD detects and measures the motion of the laser beam as a direct response to the cantilever deflection which moves the laser beam around on the sensor Laser beam 7 Position sensing ae photodetector Cantilever in feedback fe Sample topography As the photodetector measures cantilever deflection the electronic controller immediately adjusts to it with a negative feedback response During DPN drawing the pen is in contact mode with the sample System components This drawing shows the NSCRIPTOR components and how they re related Temperature amp E chamber humidity controller DPN stage Main monitor Master Lithography Air table switch box Second monitor live video switch box computer controller optional These are the main components e Master computer The PC runs Windows InkCAD and other Nanolnk application software including a scan image analysis program and an application that lets you change the temperature and humidity inside the environmental chamber e Monitors The master computer has two monitors One for working with the PC software and another for viewing live video from the instrument e DPN stage A state of the art scanning pr
9. the test pattern When the Scan button is re enabled the scan has finished Find the scan image labeled LFM and click on its title bar turning the title bar blue grey Important Go to the Instrument window s File menu and select Update This process will transfer the LFM image onto the Inkcal measurement window In Version 3 2 is not necessary to close the Inkfinder window anymore can Goe EES i krant fsm hm y u Le Ler Fiii DG m Y 1 u ae Dam Free ga Compieees Part 1 of the InkCal calibration process 1s now complete Proceed to part 2 5 19 2005 Page 35 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide InkCal part 2 Analyze the test pattern Measurement process Default element selection order Page 36 The next phase of the ink calibration process is to measure the dots and lines drawn in the test pattern The bas c method is to overlay outlines on the scanned dots and lines as close to the actual size and thickness as possible For example you will measure a dot with covering it with a circular outline of the same size Scanned Dot dot outline With dots you need to create move and adjust an outline until it precisely covers a scanned dot For a line you place vertical boundary lines at either side Measurement boundaries Scanned line As you set the size of a dot outline or place measurement boundaries around a line InkCal updates the dot size or line width in a Results area on the wind
10. to step 5 2 Removing the sample If a sample is currently loaded start by lifting the pen a distance away from it Go to the Video Motors tab on the right side of the window Set the z motor step size to 300 microns and click on the button to raise the pen as shown here 1 Set this value 2 Click here 5 19 2005 Page 21 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 3 Being careful not to touch the pen slide the sample puck toward you and then lift it up out of the groove that holds it on the stage 4 Use a pair of tweezers to remove and store the old sample 5 Replacing the sample Use tweezers to mount the new sample on the center of the puck The puck center has a magnet that holds the sample in place if it is metallic For non metallic samples NanoInk recommends attaching it to a small metal plate using double sided tape then placing the plate over the center ofthe puck 6 Replace the puck on the stage by setting it down so its bottom peg fits into the groove on the puck Slide the puck all the way in Page 22 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Mounting new pens in the pen clip A pen clip is a small metal piece that uses a spring to hold a NanoInk produced pen substrate in place When placed on the underside of the instrument s scanner assembly it holds the pen in place for DPN Spring Cantilever clip Before you can load a new pen substrate into the instrument you firs
11. are the user manual as Windows help and this Getting started guide and the Quick procedure guide as Acrobat PDF files Page 4 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Contents TOS EE 2 DALEY StAle IE NE ee ee ee ee een 3 Getting technical Support 3 PIOUS documen nee een 4 Other documents ava labosri e A T E 4 laroductiortothe INS CRAP TOR criera A A A N 7 About DPN Daters meenten eneen teal aaa ees 8 ABOULAFNMS en ui a ekeren 8 SYCON AES een ree seeden 9 Fhe DPN drawing Doc in air ae ee 11 SAE SCC MCI E EE E EI E E EEE AT E EETA 13 Desionine a pattern mm MkCAD nee 13 Sarine nde gD A 13 Desiomime a Simple Patenten 14 Creatine 200 aan 15 Add ne NGS etende entel neede hanen eandbeknnd 16 Addin a PAL serene tte nenten 18 Add n2 2 DoUnday areas ee else 19 SAVES VOE WOLK zt heeten tekenen ee ee ee 20 Opening the Instrument window uusssssssssssssnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnenn 21 Changing or loading hes iple nsse eu eae 21 Mounting new pens in the pen clip nanne neeeenneneeeeneneeneneneneeeneneeeveeeveneven 23 Loading a pen into the instrument netart de ea 24 Easer Ted dotal gimine ni sanitatie heelder ee 28 APprosch me the Samples snee ech 30 EEE NIE a EE P ee beed ee bede E E A 33 AbOUL nl ROD U DICH LO a OER A 33 Usine InkCal to calibrate anke tonnen eeen 34 InkCal part 1 Choose options draw and scan test pattern eeeseeeeeeeeees 35 InkCal part 2 Analy
12. borders You create a path by specifying an initial starting point and then a series of line segment endpoints Click on the X button and move the pointer to the left end of the top line what will be the square s upper left corner Then drag a line to the square s lower left corner and release the mouse button It should look like this nn l i Al l I 1 1 l I I I I If this was a line rather than a path you could now update the line or move one of its endpoints However with a path ending the first line segment also starts the next segment So you can move the pointer to the square s lower right corner and click again When you update the path the square is defined a A d 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Adding a boundary The final part of the pattern is the boundary at the top Click on the L button and drag the boundary s first segment a Just as with the path releasing the mouse button starts a new line segment Move to the next endpoint and click to add the second line a oOo When you update InkCAD fills in the boundary between the three defined endpoints You do not need to define the third line segment at the bottom of the triangle w The pattern design is now finished 5 19 2005 Page 19 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide saving your work You can save your DPN file to disk by going to the main InkCAD window s File menu and selecting Save A
13. d line Then move the pointer as needed and click once to lock the line in place While you were measuring the dot or line you may have noticed InkCal updating the dot area or line width in the Results area To accept the final value click on the Save button InkCal stores the saved value in the table below and selects the next dot or line in the table Verify that InkCal saved the result for the correct dot or line before continuing If any unmeasured elements of the current type either dots or lines remain return to step 2 above to measure the next one You now need to measure the other element type Under Measurement Tool select Dot InkCal automatically selects the first entry in the other table Return to step 2 above to measure the elements of that type When you have measured all the dots and lines you want click on the Next button at the bottom of the window Continue on to part 3 of the ink calibration process 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide InkCal part 3 Fit to a curve and display the results Follow these steps to complete the ink calibration 1 Atthe end of InkCal part 2 you click on the Next button to exit from the measurement form see InkCal part 2 Analyze the test pattern InkCal immediately graphs the data points and tries to fit an ink diffusion curve to them The characteristics of the resulting curve determine the calibration coefficients If InkCal does not successfully fit a curve a
14. d proteins on substrates of silicon to metal and glass Other important NSCRIPTOR features are high precision and registration accuracy process scalability and the ability to control key environmental factors temperature and humidity during experiments 5 19 2005 Page 7 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide About DPN patterns The two fundamental objects you can create in DPN are dots made by leaving the pen stationary on the surface for a certain amount of time and lines made as the pen moves along the surface from one point to another Dot Line All the other structures you will draw with DPN are combinations of these dots and lines With its high resolution and accuracy you will use these simple building blocks to develop products that would be impossible or cost prohibitive to make with other technologies About AFMs Although NSCRIPTOR is a significant departure from conventional scanning probe systems and atomic force microscopes AFMs it is useful to review the basic methods of this technology You do not need to fully master AFMs to do DPN with the NSCRIPTOR system However the more you know about AFMs the more effectively you can do DPN experiments at the research level Understanding AFMs will also improve the images that result from inspecting your DPN patterns Cantilever D ed Surface Nanometer scale contact area Page 8 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide In contact
15. e Dots The system draws a dot by leaving the pen s stationary for a short time e Lines The system draws a line by depositing ink as the pen moves from one endpoint to another e Paths A path is a set of one or more interconnected lines Here are a few examples NEEN EZ Page 14 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Example pattern Creating a dot e Boundaries A boundary is a filled object consisting of a series of connected border lines The line endings are the vertices Ei D You define the vertices and specify how InkCAD should fill the element during drawing It fills the shape by drawing a series of parallel lines called hatch lines By default InkCAD draws hatch lines parallel to the longest side of the element like th s This is the pattern you will create Boundary LI The top and right borders are two separate lines The left and bottom borders are one path that has two segments Start by clicking on the designer toolbar s button In the drawing area click on a center point for the dot you may find it convenient to use the origin Then hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse A light green outline shows the dot as you move the pointer Release the mouse button when the dot is the size you want it Notice the two green handles one at the center and one at the outer edge If you wish you can drag the center handle to move the dot o
16. ent temperature and relative humidity e The chemical composition of the ink being deposited and e The surface chemistry and morphology of the substrate These variables affect the diffusion of ink on the substrate away from the region where the pen tip contacts the surface Diffusion is the process by which ink molecules spread onto the substrate radially from the pen Ink diffusion Pen Diffusion also plays a role in drawing lines Lateral ink diffusion Pen trajectory 5 19 2005 Page 33 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide With inks that diffuse dot area generally increases with how long the pen stays stationary to draw the dot this is called the dwell time Longer Longer still Lines usually get narrower with increased pen speed during drawing Slower Faster Some inks are known to diffuse either poorly or not at all For these inks line width and dot diameter are essentially independent of the pen speed and dwell time Using InkCal to calibrate ink InkCal is an InkCAD module that guides you through the ink calibration process InkCal calibrates by drawing a fest pattern of dots lines or both This is the basic process for using the InkCal wizard 1 You start by defining the test pattern whether to draw dots lines or both how many of them to draw and where to draw them The test pattern contains dots and or lines with known dwell times and pen speeds When you re ready InkCal
17. hat InkCAD is preparing the lithography T job par This icon appears while the lithography job is in progress When this appears in the InkCAD window s lower left Lithography Completed corner it means that lithography has successfully finished Scanning an image Follow this procedure to scan an image of a drawn pattern l First return to the main InkCAD window and look at the toolbar above the drawing area If it is the toolbar shown here click on the L button If this toolbar is visible click on this button TIEF YATE 10 615 EEn 5 19 2005 Page 43 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 2 Right drag over the pattern design and select Scan from the resulting pop up window Delete Zoom scan Nek The Instrument window opens or update the scan size and X Y offsets Scan Size 4 531 um offset 0 021 um Y offset 0 67 um 4 Go to the Video Motors tab Click on the Approach button to put the pen into feedback control 5 Return to the SPM Controls tab and click the Scan button to begin scanning As the scan progresses the Instrument window updates images for several scan types 6 If you want to stop and restart the scan click the Stop button change parameters as desired and click Scan again Page 44 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Layer to Layer Alignment Alignment Part 1 l Design a two layer pattern in the InkCAD drawing area 2 When ready load you
18. iate SPM scan atthe expected coordinates select Next when complete Scan Note If you do not see your mark when imaging you can increase the scan area As soon as you Click on the next button the system will automatically capture an SPM image Make sure that you select the same image orientation as you did in alignment part 1 18 Point to an alignment feature on the saved SPM image Nanoscale Align Fointto an alignment feature on the saved SPH image select Next when complete ce Cancel 18 Point to the same alignment feature on the recently scanned image Nanoscale Align I Fointto the same feature on the new SPM image select Finish when complete and proceed to execute the next layer gt gt gt Corect Rotation Note After you end the alignment session the system will prompt you to save the alignment data and you will be ready to draw the next layer Recommendation Practice the alignment procedure two or three times with MHA ink on gold before trying it with your target research experiment It is important that you feel comfortable with the process in order to achieve the best alignment results Page 48 5 19 2005
19. m In der 6 Replacing the pen If no pen is currently loaded on the bottom of the scanner assembly skip ahead to the next step Otherwise use a pair of tweezers to remove the pen or pen clip If you will be loading a NanoInk manufactured pen follow the procedure in Mounting new pens in the pen clip to exchange pens in the clip 7 If you are loading a pen not manufactured by Nanolnk use tweezers to pick up the pen substrate If you re loading a NanoInk manufactured pen use tweezers to pick up the pen clip on the longer side then flip it over horizontally Place the pen or pen clip onto a magnetic mount on the bottom of the scanner assembly with the pen substrate pointed to the left Mount detail Page 26 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 8 10 11 12 13 14 Use the tweezers to push the pen or pen clip down and to the right as far as it will go Move the scanner assembly back into position Hold the scanner head by the handles and rotate it back down 90 degrees to the level position Gently push the scanner back towards the stage until you feel some resistance Turn the pen exchange knobs up 1 4 turn to lock the scanner head into place Replacing the sample puck Set the puck down so its bottom peg fits into the groove Then slide the puck all the way in Groove Rotate the puck so the sample is square with the scanner head On the PC return to the Tip Excha
20. m half of the InkCal window select the first entry in the element table InkCal initially starts with the lines Pattern of Dots and Lines Measurement Tool C Do Line Clear OYZ Speed Repeat width Enab icf lud 1 5 25 15 45 0 2 0 0 1 wt 5 19 2005 Page 37 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 38 Next measure the size of the selected element See Default element selection order to determine where that element is in the scanned pattern To measure a dot With the mouse pointer near the center of the dot click once to begin creating the dot outline Move the pointer and click again when the outline is the same size as the dot It should look something like this To move the outline click on the crosshair then move the outline and click once more to lock it in place To re size the outline click on any part of its outer edge Move the pointer to re size the outline and click once more to set its size To measure a line Click once in the scan image which creates a blue vertical line in the scan Drag it to the left edge of the drawn line and click once Then move the pointer to the line s right edge and click again creating another blue line If you want to move either blue line drag it from where it intersects with the red line then click once to re set it in a new position It should look like this becomes 7 To move one of the blue lines click once on the X where it meets the re
21. master computer finishes booting up log on to the system 3 Turn on the system controller 4 When you hear a series of beeps from the system controller you can start the master computer s InkCAD software Do not start InkCAD until the system controller beeps several times Designing a pattern in InkCAD The following pages show you how to create a DPN pattern in the InkCAD application Starting InkCAD To begin using InkCAD double click on this icon in the Windows desktop 5 19 2005 Page 13 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide This is the main InkCAD window Main toolbar Designer toolbar en Nanolnk InkCAD Structure Designer OOP WA File Edit View Insert Elements Instrument Tools Window Help X BS n te CZ I I Me WS Om r B 9 Aj 24 DisplayByLayer True DisplayElement True DisplayPrintable False DisplayYisibleOt True DisplayBylLayers I Mouse Position 4 626 Y 5 245 Center 0 0 Drawing Time 0 0 0 Drawing area The full NSCRIPTOR user s manual describes all the objects in this window In this getting started guide you will work mostly with the drawing area and the toolbars shown above Designing a simple pattern The section shows how to design your own pattern Later you will draw it on a substrate In InkCAD a pattern is a collection of objects to draw on a substrate These are the basic types of drawing elements you can put in your patterns
22. nge window and click on the Restore button Fress the Restore button to return to the original position Stop 5 19 2005 Page 27 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Laser red dot alignment The instrument uses a laser to measure the deflection of the cantilever Laser beam Position sensing photodetector Cantileven 22 Sample topography This section describes how to align the reflected laser light on the photodetector You will do this in the Align Laser tab of the Instrument window This is how the tab looks for contact mode scanning PM instrument UT File Tools Help Ma 1 Representation of Overall the photodetector intensity of laser light Darker rectangle I ble shows the best ies Min is the dot region for the l u minimum scanning mode Intensity for imaging to work Minl Red dot shows I location of peak an niee m laser intensity on i Error Signal T BI 1 00 Lazer Sum th AZET 1 00 T RRRS A Lateral Signal L R Hoov nan moO BEE Turn laser on or Sensor signal off here readings described later About the sensor signal readings In the Align Laser tab these fields are readings from the detector Item Description Error This is the y axis location of the dot s center This value is related to Signal the setpoint and the vertical position of the laser spot on the photodetector expressed as Z T B here Error Signal Setpoin
23. obe tool optimized for DPN patterning It includes motors for coarse movement of the stage relative to the sample a piezoelectric scanner for fine movement a pen a sample puck an optical video microscope and the scanner s real time calibration sensors The instrument has a three motor pen leveling feature and it can scan in both x and y directions 5 19 2005 Page 9 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 10 Lithography controller The controller contains the electronics for communicating with and controlling the DPN stage It connects to the master computer by a standard Ethernet cable and to the DPN stage via several cables Environmental chamber NanoInk s E chamber is a clear acrylic box that provides a tightly controlled environment for optimal DPN conditions A controller module works with a bubbler and a solid state heating cooling system to maintain environmental conditions Air table The table isolates the chamber and its contents from floor vibration See the user s guide for information on the optional bias control switch box Not shown in the drawing Nitrogen tank s Nitrogen is essential for controlling the humidity in the environmental chamber Nitrogen tanks are not provided by NanoInk We recommend an input pressure of 15 20 PSI 30 is the maximum Supplies and miscellaneous Each NSCRIPTOR ships with a pen clip to hold pens in the instrument a pen clip mounting block and a set of p
24. ow The process in InkCal part 2 is to select a dot or line measure its size or thickness store the results and move to the next element It starts out by selecting the first dot or line in one of the tables in the bottom half of the window a TT me ve Speed Hepeat Width Enab d 0 25 0 45 0 1 0 0 413 lw 1 5 a 1 5 45 0 2 0 1 Gi When you save a dot area or line width the software automatically saves the area or width then selects the next row in the table First line s width is saved here 1 ae TE Speed Ben Ya Enab 0 1 o Foasel mw a Save gt 0 0 45 en sE EEEN EN Cn 3 3 45 0 4 D 0 1 vw 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide This is the order of the elements for the default InkCal patterns the pre defined ones shown when InkCal opens Pattern of Dots and Lines Pattern of Dots and Lines Dot selection order Line selection order 1 2 3 3 D o D O 9 5 6 8 4 So the first dot you will measure is the smallest one and the first line is the thickest Procedure At this point in the process the InkCal window should show a scan of the test pattern Scan Goer E ES aj KT Oet Fr Ll aii El Ez Henere Tool Cia Line Cen Friuli G0 an Y 1 3 ue ahs Dam en 12999094 4 i Since your test pattern from part 1 contained both dots and lines you need to measure all instances of one element type then all of the other Follow this procedure 1 In the botto
25. r drag the outer one to resize it When you are satisfied with the dot you need to update it Updating tells InkCAD to add the element to the pattern To update an element right click 5 19 2005 Page 15 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide in the drawing area you may need to move the pointer a bit first and select Update from the resulting pop up menu Update Cancel Delete When you update the dot a few things happen e The software updates the estimated time to draw the pattern near the bottom of the window and e InkCAD re draws the dot in a solid color Adding lines The next task is to create the lines for the top and right sides of the square Click on the LZ button in the designer toolbar Move the pointer to where one of the top line s endpoints would be then click and hold down the left mouse button Move the pointer to the other endpoint and release the button You should end up with something like this Page 16 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide As with the dot you can drag on either handle to move an endpoint if you wish Update the line just as you did with the dot right click and choose Update from the pop up menu Here is how it should look at this point Repeat this process to add the second line You do not need to click on the button again 5 19 2005 Page 17 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Adding a path Page 18 A path will form the square s left and bottom
26. r pen and sample on the stage 3 Perform the laser alignment routine and get the pen s in feedback 4 Once the pen s are in feedback run the Inkcal procedure to calibrate your ink diffusion rate and apply the calibration results to the layers You can also save your calibration data in the ink database 5 Draw your first layer and scan the alignment mark X when finished 6 After you finish scanning the alignment mark select the best of the two LFM gt images Select the Inkfinder tab and start a new alignment Ne Alignment Note When you start a new alignment the system will automatically capture the selected SPM image start the alignment wizard When selecting an SPM image keep in mind that the same orientation forward reverse of the LFM image needs to be selected in the second part of the alignment wizard 8 Withdraw to a safe distance The withdraw distance is specify in the options panel under Z control tab You can change the withdraw distance by modifying the value and the options panel or just click on the Next button if no adjustments are needed Save Alignment Site Fress Nextto take the system out of feedback and withdraw dum to save a video image of the area vern 9 Adjust Zoom and Focus If the live video image looks sharp it is not necessary to make any adjustments Point and click on the live video image to select the reader pen and then select Next Save Video Adjust zoom and focus for the live
27. re inked pens for you to experiment with NanoInk recommends using these pens to learn how to use the system before attempting experiments with other inks Other optional items include an air compressor connected to the air table and an air gun for blowing dry nitrogen on samples and pens 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide The DPN drawing process This picture shows a high level view of how you will use the InkCAD software for simple DPN experiments as described in the rest of this document Edit your design in See Designing a pattern in InkCAD on page 13 main InkCAD window ne pag When ready to draw Load pen and prepare See Designing patterns and working with the instrument instrument page 13 Run InkCal to calculate calibration coefficients See Ink calibration page 33 Draw design from InkCAD See Drawing and seeing the results page 41 Make an image of the DPN pattern See Scanning an image page 43 Nanolnk recommends that you draw your first DPN patterns with the substrates and pre inked pens shipped with the system 5 19 2005 Page 11 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 12 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Designing patterns and working with the instrument Startup sequence Use this procedure each time you start your NSCRIPTOR system for best results follow the procedure exactly l Turn on the master computer and its two monitors 2 When the
28. rol You may use the Instrument window s stage controls to move the pen relative to the stage The pen is currently under feedback control With this status you cannot move the pen unless your override the default settings in the options panel The DPN server displays this icon in the Windows system tray at the end of the task bar You can move the mouse pointer over this icon to see a short DPN server status message DPN server icon DPN Server Ready et 12 55PM The message text and the color of the light in this icon indicate what the DPN server is doing These are the values you could see Status Status message Meaning light color Green DPN Server Ready The DPN server has just started up and has not yet received any print jobs to process Green DPN Server Inactive The DPN server has released control of the instrument Red Job is in progress Estimated The server is executing an operation time left hh mm ss for InkCAD Red DPN Server Idle The DPN server has completed all requested operations but it still controls the instrument Page 42 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide The drawing status icon When InkCAD starts drawing on the substrate a status icon appears in the lower right corner of the main InkCAD window Last Selection Fur ir This table describes the icon and another status indicator that appears after drawing Indicator Meaning Ru This means t
29. s bringing up this dialog box Save As Save in Nanolnk aa O 4FMMaps Backup My Recent Images Documents Dinkfiles temp Dtest_imageDB Desktop My Documents My Network File name M Places Save as type JInkCAD Project INK Cancel Browse to a different directory if you wish enter a file name and click on Save Page 20 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Opening the Instrument window To use many of the following procedures you need to open the InkCAD software s Instrument window You can do this by clicking on the button in the main toolbar The window looks like this when it opens E need mem RSE Ee ooh Hek Stage Control SPM Inagen SPH Selup j ie 3 zt e mi i r E Soom Fanfor Step Stage ans Vahedi aen Tathangs Sip Capbis S P noa Oop Jak ESS J goa ae FAT Focus u Hen MOD wa Ok i Zum mT u oe u et a a a ad Ba E Sulaa J a rx vl zE k 050000 wn 15 uii En r 7 1 Pen Leveling A i ae S ri i Ss opii OO 15 8 ur oo 1 aj j 4 pe fal 2 a SE 3 m 2 amp Flere Hete un IE at A f Zoen width um Light TAN um dr ar am Silage See 2E um Ve AE um Seamer Kar JE urn TAC 48 um Changing or loading the sample Use the following procedure to change the sample substrate 1 Jfno sample is currently loaded in the instrument skip ahead
30. t Z T B Page 28 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Item Description Lateral This is the x axis location of the center of the dot Signal Laser Sum This is a measure of the total amount of light reaching the detector in all four quadrants It is also the value displayed in the light intensity meter above this field Laser alignment procedure In laser alignment you move the laser and the detector to get the red dot into the preferred darker region with as high a Laser Sum value as possible DPN patterning works with any Laser Sum value above the shown minimum A higher value usually works better The instrument has four knobs that move the laser and photodetector Detector vertical Laser vertical Detector horizontal Laser horizontal Follow this procedure to align the laser l In the InkCAD Instrument window go to the SPM Controls tab and change the Setpoint to zero 2 Use the two laser control knobs to move the laser beam until it reflects off the cantilever near the tip area as shown below On a diving board cantilever deflect the laser beam just above the small pit near the end of the cantilever 3 With the detector knobs move the photodetector so the peak laser intensity is in the dark rectangular area 5 19 2005 Page 29 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 4 Move the detector around that area looking at the Laser Sum value Stop moving the detector when Laser Sum is the highest
31. t need to remove the old one if any from the pen clip Then you can place the new pen into the clip and load it into the instrument This section shows you how to replace a pen in the clip You will use a custom mounting block to hold the pen clip while changing or loading pens The mounting block has a rotating cover Here is the block with a pen clip inside it Rotating cover s Pen clip This is the procedure for replacing a pen in the clip You would use this procedure either if no pen is currently loaded in the instrument or after removing the clip from the instrument in the pen replacement procedure that follows this procedure l If your pen clip currently has nothing loaded into it skip ahead to step 5 2 Rotate the mounting block s cover up and back to give you access to the block 3 There is a small hole on one side of the pen clip Place the clip onto the mounting block so the small pin on the block goes into that hole 4 Rotate the mounting block cover back over the clip and press down lightly on the cover This lifts the clip s metal spring Use tweezers to remove and store the old pen substrate 5 With tweezers carefully pick up the new pen 5 19 2005 Page 23 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Loading a pen into the instrument Push down lightly again upon the mounting block cover to lift the spring and insert the new pen as far as it will go The pen substrate should be straight and centered
32. u 12mm If necessary rotate the puck by hand to orient the sample 5 Repeat step 1 above 6 Click on the Approach button to put the pen into feedback CAUTION Once the approach is complete and the pen is in contact with the sample surface do not exit the InkCAD software or turn off the lithography controller without first withdrawing the pen Otherwise you may damage the pen and or sample When you finish this procedure if you see a message saying that the approach failed the problem may be that an inadequate amount of light is reaching the photodetector It may help to try reflecting the laser beam off a different area of the cantilever and to readjust the detector You should also make sure that the system is not in false feedback If the system is in false feedback the red dot will not be in the center of the detector window 5 19 2005 Page 31 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 32 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Ink calibration Ink calibration s a process of depositing ink and measuring how much it diffuses on the substrate This helps to ensure that dots and lines are drawn on a substrate with the size or width specified in the pattern The process is to draw a test pattern scan it and measure the dimensions of the drawn dots and lines About ink diffusion Dot diameters and line widths depend on multiple factors including the following e Environmental conditions like the ambi
33. uld appear when you click on this button see The drawing status window for more information on this In addition a printer icon appears in the main InkCAD window see The drawing status icon If you want to stop the drawing operation at any time click on the button The system is done drawing the pattern when this button disappears from the main toolbar and this message appears in the lower left corner of the main InkCAD window nn Lithography Completed In InkCAD a component called the DPN server initiates drawing on the substrate The server displays this DPN drawing status window Status and remaining Click here for time for current DPN immediate stop see operation below DPN Lithography Status Job is in progress Estimated Time left 0 03 05 u SEI Fe l NANOI ANOINT Feedback status see below The rest of these items are described in Chapter 3 of the user s manual Clicking on the Emergency Stop button immediately halts any operation in progress Next to the drawing status window s Emergency Stop button is a graphic indicator of whether the pen is currently under feedback control This tells you 5 19 2005 Page 41 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide whether you can manually move the pen using the controls in the Instrument window s Stage Control tab described in Chapter 5 of the user s manual Feedback status Description This tells you that the pen is not currently in feedback cont
34. video and then point ta the reader pen in the video image select Next when complete gt gt gt 10 Selecting Save will save your alignment data into a folder so you can come back to the same coordinates after you remove your sample or pen s 5 19 2005 Page 45 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Save to Database Select save to update the database which completes the first part of the alignment process wen ee Note Before you remove your sample from the puck holder mark the position of the substrate on the puck and also mark the puck in reference to the stage This will help minimize misalignment for the second layer and it will avoid major rotation software compensation Alignment Part 2 x 11 Re load your sample or pen s and start the Align Sample routine gt Coarse Ar Navigation selectihe Retuma button to move the stage back to the saved position or manually move the stage Select Next when complete Cancel Next Note This section will bring the stage to the position in which it was before you removed your sample or pen s You can also do manual stage adjustments by moving the stage with the stage arrows 12 The return Z button will bring the z motors back to the same position as you had before your removed your or sample pen s You can also manually adjust the motors Coarse Navigation select the Return button to move the stage back to the saved position or manually move the stage Select Ne
35. w you have tried to solve the problem Our support staff will review the information and contact you promptly About this document This Getting started guide is your introduction to the world of Dip Pen Nanolithography DPN It describes the basics of the DPN method and guides you through the process of designing your first DPN pattern preparing the system to draw it calibrating for ink diffusion drawing the pattern and imaging the results The guide is meant for first time users of the NSCRIPTOR system You do not need to be familiar with the DPN process to use this guide though it helps to have experience with scanning probe microscope technology Other documents available Besides this Getting started guide the NSCRIPTOR system comes with two other documents e The NSCRIPTOR user manual is the complete source of information about the system Some of the procedures and sections in this Getting started guide have more complete versions in the user s manual e The NSCRIPTOR quick procedure guide is a reference document containing condensed procedures from the user s manual and other reference information It is meant for experienced NSCRIPTOR users who need a quick refresher on how to perform certain tasks with the system The document also contains a handy table with suggested parameter values for drawing patterns and making scan images The documentation is also available in online formats from the NSCRIPTOR softw
36. xt when complete Return owe Note Be careful not to break your pen s due to a possible new pen position If you have concerns about breaking your pen s you might want to bring the z motors manually Page 46 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 13 Adjust your zoom and focus for the live video and then point and click on the reader pen This will mark the new pen position in reference to the old saved video image Acquire Video Adjust zoom and focus for the live video and then point to the reader pen in the video image select Next when complete gt gt gt 14 Now you will start the micro scale alignment by saving a determined location position Microscale Align Fointto an Alignment feature on the saved video image select Next when complete lt lt lt 15 Now point and click on the same object as you did in step 14 Microscale Align Il Pointto the same feature on the Live Video select Next when complete 3 Corect Rotation 16 The coarse alignment is now complete The next step will be to bring the pen s into feedback or contact with the substrate Frepare SFM selectthe Approach button or manually adjust the system to get into contact with the surface select Next when complete Approach omen 5 19 2005 Page 47 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide 17 Once the pen s are in feedback or contact with they substrate you can start a scan Acquire SPM Image init
37. ze the test pattern annen nennen nenn nennen ennenennnen 36 Measurement Process eene adenine debet er 36 Default element selection order eein E E OE 36 Proeed re nee 37 InkCal part 3 Fit to a curve and display the results nennen 39 Drawing and seeing the TESUNS sanne ae reeden 41 Drawno the paler a nenne ever ac eR 41 Ehesdtawms Statiswndowss IE 41 The draws stais CON reren en einem he 43 SCARA A MADE 43 Eaverto Layer Alis ment 3222 eis 45 5 19 2005 Page 5 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Page 6 5 19 2005 NSCRIPTOR getting started guide Introduction to the NSCRIPTOR The NSCRIPTOR is an advanced Dip Pen Nanolithography DPN tool The DPN method turns an atomic force microscope AFM into a nanofabrication platform An AFM probe tip coated with ink contacts a surface and deposits ink on it Nanopattern In many ways the process is similar to macro scale writing with an ink pen but at a much smaller scale With NSCRIPTOR you use a pen tip a few microns high to create objects as small as 15 nanometers wide You can use NSCRIPTOR to make products as diverse as nano scale electronic circuits nanoarrays of organic material and biological or chemical sensors You can do a variety of tasks ranging from microscopic brand protection to additive repair on electronic devices and photomasks The DPN process works with a wide variety of inks and substrates drawing with everything from DNA to polymers an
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