Biologically enabled micro- and nanostencil lithography using diatoms

The development of a biologically enabled micro- and nanostencil lithography approach using diatoms is demonstrated. Diatom frustules are initially purified, sorted, and aligned into compact monolayers on underlying silicon substrates. Subsequently, the diatom monolayers are employed as shadow masks during the electron beam deposition of gold (Au) thin films, a process which enables the capacity to mirror the intricate micro- and nanoporous frustule architecture on the underlying silicon substrates. Following Au deposition and diatom frustule dissolution, both sub-micron and nanoscale gold patterns on silicon are realized using this approach. This unique method yields the highly structured patterning of gold and other materials on a variety of substrates, with feature sizes ranging from the sub-micron to the nanoscale, enabling a host of diverse applications.