A versatile nanopatterning technique based on controlled undercutting and liftoff.

Nanopatterning techniques have applications across a wide range of experimental sciences, from controlling cell growth and function [ 1 ] to improving the effi ciency of thin fi lm solar cells. [ 2 ] Approaches developed by the microelectronics industry such as photon-, ionand electron-beam lithography are highly refi ned, producing features with dimensions of just tens of nanometers. Unfortunately, the cost of these methods prohibits access to many in the scientifi c community. As a result, the last two decades has seen an exponential increase in publications on unconventional nano-patterning techniques [ 3 ] which provide cheaper, but restricted ways of fabricating nanostructures. These include soft, [ 4 ] nano-imprint, [ 5 ] block copolymer, [ 6 ] and scanning probe [ 7 ] lithography. Here, we report on a new edgebased technique that extends a controlled undercutting method, fi rst proposed by Love et al. [ 8 ]