Gradient spray coating polymer pen arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10203598-B2
Application number	US-201615295914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2016
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method of inking a polymer pen lithography tip array (“PPL tip array”), including applying an ink composition to a PPL tip array using at least two spray applicators to deposit the ink as a non-uniform ink layer. The disclosure further provides a method of depositing at least two ink compositions on PPL tip array, including applying a first ink to a first defined area using a first spray applicator, and applying a second ink to a second defined area using a second spray applicator. The disclosure further provides a method of scaling a linear ink composition gradient provided by at least two spray applicators to a PPL tip array having a length, L, including positioning the spray applicators at a distance of about 5.0 L to about 8.0 L relative to the surface of the PPL tip array, positioning the spray applicators at a distance of about 0.5 L to about 3.0 L relative to each other, and applying an ink composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of inking a polymer pen lithography tip array (“PPL tip array”), comprising:
applying an ink composition to a defined area of the PPL tip array using at least two spray applicators to deposit the ink composition as a non-uniform ink layer onto the PPL tip array.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a concentration gradient of an ink composition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a compositional gradient of two or more ink compositions applied by the at least two spray applicators.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the gradient comprises a linear gradient.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the gradient comprises a non-linear gradient.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a linear gradient and a non-linear gradient.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a non-uniform quantity of ink applied across the array.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a compositional gradient of two or more ink compositions across a first dimension of the PPL array and an ink quantity gradient across a second dimension of the PPL array.

9. A method of depositing at least two ink compositions on a polymer pen lithography tip array (“PPL tip array”), comprising:
applying a first ink composition to a first defined area of the PPL tip array using a first spray applicator; and
applying a second ink composition to a second defined area of the PPL tip array using a second spray applicator, thereby providing a mixture of ink compositions on the PPL tip array.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first defined area and the second defined area are separate.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first defined area and the second defined area overlap.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mixture of ink compositions on the PPL tip array comprises a non-uniform ink layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises an ink compositional gradient.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gradient comprises a linear gradient.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gradient comprises a non-linear gradient.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a linear gradient and a non-linear gradient.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first composition and second composition are applied concurrently.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the non-uniform ink layer comprises a compositional gradient of the first and second ink compositions across a first dimension of the PPL array and an ink quantity gradient across a second dimension of the PPL array.

19. A method of scaling a linear ink compositional gradient provided by at least two spray applicators to a polymer pen lithography tip array (“PPL tip array”) having a length, L, comprising:
positioning the at least two spray applicators at a distance of about 5.0 L to about 8.0 L relative to the surface of the PPL tip array;
positioning the at least two spray applicators at a distance of about 0.5 L to about 3.0 L relative to each other; and
applying an ink composition to the PPL tip array from the at least two spray applicators.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the spray applicators are positioned at a distance of about 6.20 L to about 6.30 L relative to the surface of the PPL tip array.

Assignees

• Univ Northwestern

Inventors

• Mirkin Chad A
• Brown Keith A
• Hedrick Iii James L

Classifications

• G03F7/0002 Primary

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title

• B05D2490/60

  compositions varying with a gradient parallel to the surface · CPC title

• B05D5/061

  Special surface effect · CPC title