Solid-state electrochemical stamping of functional metallic nanostructures

A new approach of directly patterning metal at nano-scale with excellent dimensional resolution and flexibility is introduced for fabrication of functional nano-structures. This technique is based on the solid-state electrochemical dissolution of a metallic substrate at its contact with a pre-patterned surface of a solid electrolyte tool, and the subsequent formation of the complimentary pattern on the metal substrate as the solid electrolyte etches through the metal layer. Our results demonstrate repeatable and high-fidelity patterning of metal structures with a wide dimension range (20 mum to 50 nm). As this process is carried out in ambient environment and does not require wet chemicals, its potential for use as a simple and yet high-throughput metal patterning technique offers a highly competitive approach to fabricating functional structures and devices such as chemical sensors and photonic devices.