BSA protein writing on Si surface using the Fountain Pen Nanolithography technique. On the left is an AFM image presenting two lines of the BSA. The plot on the right shows a height line profile of these lines. A pipette of 100nm aperture has been used with contact mode of 20µm /ms writing speed.

WSxM software has been used for image processing of the pictures above: I. Horcas et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 78, 013705 (2007). 
 

A silicon surface has been selected for writing due to its significance in the semiconductor industry. Using FPN for patterning on silicon could open the door for this technique to be integrated into different fields of semiconductors and materials.

Patterning with biological materials on silicon demonstrates the ability of FPN in biochip technology. FPN allows for patterning with biological materials onto Si surfaces, commonly used in integrated circuits and semiconductor devices.

Ideal systems for this application:

MV4000
MV2000
MV1000

40 x 40 micron Topgraphy		3D image
60 x 80 micron optical image of the same region.		Video of protein printing in real time

Using any of the Nanonics MultiView systems, chemicals, in liquid or gas form, can be fed into the pipette via a silicon tube. Apart from Protein Printing, applications of this setup include metallic nano-etching and nanolithography: an etchant can be introduced into the sample and scanned across it with nanometer precision using our 3D FlatScanning™ technology. The nanopipette is engaged by the sample using standard contact-mode atomic force microscopy, and our integrated system makes it possible to view the etching simultaneously through any optical microscope.

Nanofountain Pen reviewed by Nature Materials In the August 2003 edition of Nature Materials. The Nanofountain Pen was reviewed in the Material Update section. Click to open application note on the uses of the nanofountain pen (331kB)