NANOPARTICLE INDUCED LASER ETCHING

Conducting electrical tests on a sample using a probe station.

Removing organic residues from a substrate using Oxygen Plasma.

Setting up substrate in thermal evaporator tool for metal deposition.

Rinsing substrate with acetone for ultrasonic cleaning, then IPA and water.

Setting up device on contact profiler for surface profile extraction.

Aligning substrate pattern for exposure using contact mask aligner.

Direct laser writing via MLA 150 maskless aligner for photolithography.

NANOPARTICLE INDUCED SELECTIVE LASER ETCHING

Key Skills: Nanoscale fabrication, 3D patterning design, cleanroom tools and lab work

I successfully achieved nanoparticle induced microchannel etching in this project. I tuned a Nanoscribe's 2-photon polymerization laser to match the Au nanoparticles' localized surface plasmon resonance, allowing the particles to absorb the incident laser. I subsequently focused the laser on a point on the glass to etch a cavity and then pulled back the laser focal point to expand the cavity into a channel. This process allowed me to effectively 3D print microchannels in glass devices without needing to split the substrate.

This project was a part of my work at the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems. I expand on previous research which demonstrated that laser-assisted selective etching could be paired with colloidal gold nanospheres to create cavities in glass through the photoacoustic effect. I take advantage of this phenomenon to successfully etch channels that could later be implemented to drive microfluidic devices.

Remarkable Achievements:

● Expanded on previous research to successfully achieve nanoparticle induced microchannel etching.

Relevant Publication:

Wang, Yanan & Zhang, Qiuhui & Zhu, Zhuan & Lin, Feng & Deng, Jiangdong & Ku, Geng & Dong, Steven & Song, Shuo & Alam, Md & Liu, Dong & Wang, Zhiming & Bao, Jiming. (2017). Laser Streaming: Turning a Laser Beam into a Flow of Liquid. Science Advances.

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