公开(公告)号：EP1896165A1

公开(公告)日：2008-03-12

申请号：EP06741202.3

申请日：2006-06-07

申请人： Wriota Pty Ltd

发明人： MAXWELL, Ian, Andrew ,  WILLIAMS, James, Stanislaus ,  BRADBY, Jodie, Elizabeth

IPC分类号： B01J3/06 ,  H01L21/322

CPC分类号： G11B7/263 ,  B81C1/00111 ,  B81C1/0046 ,  G11B7/00454 ,  G11B7/24079 ,  H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/3086 ,  H01L31/18

摘要： A patterning process, including applying pressure to and removing pressure from one or more regions of a substance to transform a phase of one or more regions of the substance, the transformed one or more regions having respective predetermined shapes representing a predetermined pattern. The patterning process can be used to form nanoscale patterns in substances without requiring the use of photoresist or conventional optical or electron-beam lithography, thus avoiding the limitations of those techniques. For example, a semiconducting wafer with an amorphous or crystalline silicon surface layer can be patterned using a die or nano-indenter and subsequently used as elements in electronic, optical or mechanical devices.