• Journal of Information Display
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.14-19
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• 2008

We demonstrated the capillary force lithography (CFL) method for controlling the azimuthal anchoring energy of a liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer. When a thermoplastic polymer film is heated to over the glass transition temperature, the melted polymer is filled into the mold structure by the capillary action and the aspect ratio of the pattern is determined by the dewetting time of the CFL process. Here, the proposed method showed that the azimuthal anchoring energy of the LC alignment layer could be simply controlled by the surface relief patterns which were determined by the dewetting times during the CFL patterning.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.113-119
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• 2002

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nanofabrication method known to be a low cost method of fabricating nanoscale patterns as small as 6 m. This study is focused on understanding physical phenomena in the embossing of nano/micro scale structures with 100 nm minimum feature size. We present the effects of capillary force and width of stamp groove on flow behavior at the embossing stage through numerical experimentation. We also compare our numerical results with previous experimental results and discuss our results.

• KIEE International Transactions on Electrophysics and Applications
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• v.4C no.4
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• pp.155-159
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• 2004

This work reports the theoretical and experimental investigations of capillary bust valves to regulate liquid flow in microchannels. The theoretical analysis uses the Young-Laplace equation and geometrical considerations to predict the pressure at the edge of the valve opening. Numerical simulations are employed to calculate the meniscus shape evolution while the interface is pinned at the valve edge. Microchannels and valves are fabricated using soft lithography. A wafer-rotating system, which can adjust the driving pressure by rotational speed, induces a liquid flow. Experimentally measured valve-bursting pressure agrees with theoretical predictions.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.14-20
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.449-449
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• 2011

We reported the direct effect of intrinsic surface energy of dry adhesive material to the Van der Waals and capillary forces contributions of the total adhesion force in an artificial gecko-inspired adhesion system. To mimic the gecko foot we fabricated tilted nanohairy structures using both lithography and ion beam treatment. The nanohairy structures were replicated from Si wafer mold using UV curable polymeric materials. The control of nanohairs slanting angles was based on the uniform linear argon ion irradiation to the nanohairy polymeric surface. The surface energy was studied utilizing subsequent conventional oxygen ion treatment on the nanohairy structures which resulted in gradient surface energy. Our shear adhesion test results were found in good agreement with the accepted Van der Waals and capillary forces theory in the gecko adhesion system. Surface energy would give a direct impact to the effective Hamaker constant in Van der Waals force and the filling angle (${\varphi}$) of water meniscus in capillary force contributions of gecko inspired adhesion system. With the increasing surface energy, the effective Hamaker constant also increased but the filling angle decreased, resulting in a competition between the two forces. Using a simple mathematical model, we compared our experimental results to show the quantitative contributions of Van der Waals and capillary forces in a single adhesion system on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. We found that the Van der Waals force contributes about 82.75% and 89.97% to the total adhesion force on hydrophilic and hydrophobic test surfaces, respectively, while the remaining contribution was occupied by capillary force. We also showed that it is possible to design ultrahigh dry adhesive with adhesion strength of more than 10 times higher than apparent gecko adhesion force by controlling the surface energy and the slanting angle induced-contact line of dry adhesive the materials.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.272-274
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• 2005

A simple method for fabricating micro/nanoscale hierarchical structures is presented using a two-step temperature-directed capillary molding technique. This lithographic method involves a sequential application of molding process in which a uniform polymer-coated surface is molded with a patterned mold by means of capillary force above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Using this approach, multiscale hierarchical structures for biomimetic functional surfaces can be fabricated with precise control over geometrical parameters and the wettability of a solid surface can be designed in a controllable manner.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.369-369
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• 2012

The present work deals with selective deposition of copper on fluoropolymers patterned silicon (111) surfaces. The pattern of fluoropolymer was fabricated by nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and plasma reactive ion etching (RIE) was used to remove the residuals layers. Copper was electrochemically deposited in bare Si regions which were not covered with fluoropolymers. The patterns of fluoropolymers and copper have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this work, we used two deposition methods. One is galvanic displacement method and another is electrodeposition. Selective deposition works in both cases and it shows applicability to other materials. By optimization of the deposition conditions can be achieved therefore this process represents a simple approach for a direct high resolution patterning of silicon surfaces.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.3 s.192
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• pp.134-139
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• 2007

We report the suspension of individual multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) from the bottom substrate using deep trench electrodes that were fabricated using optical lithography. During drying of the solution in dielectrophoretic assembly, the capillary force pulls the MWNT toward the bottom substrate, and it then remains as a deformed structure adhering to the bottom substrate after the solution has dried out. Small-diameter MWNTs cannot be suspended using thin electrodes with large gaps, but large-diameter MWNTs can be suspended using thicker electrodes. We present the statistical experimental results for successful suspension, as well as the feasible conditions for a MWNT suspension based on a theoretical approach.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.525-531
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• 2011

Two dimensional (2D) arrays of noble metal nanoparticles are widely used in the sensing of nanoscale biological and chemical events. Research in this area has sparked considerable interest in many fields owing to the novel optical properties, e.g., the localized surface plasmon resonance, of these metallic nanoarrays. In this paper, we report successes in fabricating 2D arrays of gold nano-islands using nanosphere lithography. The reproducibility and the effectiveness of the nano-patterning method are tested by means of spin coating and capillary force deposition. We found that the capillary force deposition method was more effective for nanospheres with diameters greater than 600 nm, whereas the spin coating method works better for nanospheres with diameters less than 600 nm. The optimal deposition parameters for both methods were reported, showing about 80% reproducibility. In addition, we characterize gold nano-island arrays both geometrically with AFM as well as optically with UV-VIS spectrometry. The AFM images revealed that the obtained nano-arrays formed a hexagonal pattern of truncated tetrahedron nano-islands. The experimental and theoretical values of the geometric parameters were compared. The 2D gold nano-arrays showed strong LSPR in the absorption spectra. As the nano-islands increased in size, the LSPR absorption bands became red-shifted. Linear dependence of the plasmon absorption maximum on the size of the gold nano-islands was identified through the increment in the plasmon absorption maximum rate for a one nanometer increase in the characteristic length of the nano-islands. We found that the 2D gold nano-arrays showed nearly seven-fold higher sensitivity of the absorption spectrum to the size of the nano-islands as compared to colloidal gold nano-particles.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.3-8
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• 2007

We present simple methods for fabricating high aspect-ratio polymer nanostructures on a solid substrate by rigiflex lithography with tailored capillarity and adhesive force. In the first method, a thin, thermoplastic polymer film was prepared by spin coating on a substrate and the temperature was raised above the polymer's glass transition temperature ($T_g$) while in conformal contact with a poly(urethane acrylate) (PUA) mold having nano-cavities. Consequently, capillarity forces the polymer film to rise into the void space of the mold, resulting in nanostructures with an aspect ratio of ${\sim}4$. In the second method, very high aspect-ratio (>20) nanohairs were fabricated by elongating the pre-formed nanostructures upon removal of the mold with the aid of tailored capillarity and adhesive force at the mold/polymer interface. Finally, these two methods were further used to fabricate micro/nano hierarchical structures by sequential application of the molding process for mimicking nature's functional surfaces such as a lotus leaf and gecko foot hairs.