Micropatterning of anatase TiO2 thin films from an aqueous solution by a site-selective immersion method

Abstract

Micropatterning of anatase TiO₂ thin films by site-selective immersion was realized using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) which has a pattern of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. A solution containing a Ti precursor contacted the hydrophilic surface during the experiment and briefly came into contact with the hydrophobic surface via our newly developed method. The solution on the hydrophilic surface was replaced with a fresh solution by the continuous movement of bubbles. Thus TiO₂ was deposited and a thin film was grown selectively on the hydrophilic surface. A TiO₂ thin film fabricated by the site-selective immersion method has no cracks and the feature edge acuity of its micropattern was much higher than that of the micropattern obtained by the lift-off process.