Methods of chemically encoding high-resolution shapes in silicon nanowires during metal nanoparticle catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid growth or vapor-solid-solid growth are provided. In situ phosphorus or boron doping of the silicon nanowires can be controlled during the growth of the silicon nanowires such that high-resolution shapes can be etched along a growth axis on the silicon nanowires. Nanowires with an encoded morphology can have high-resolution shapes with a size resolution of about 1,000 nm to about 10 nm and comprise geometrical shapes, conical profiles, nanogaps and gratings.

A variety of homogeneous or layered hybrid nanostructures are fabricated by electric field-directed assembly of nanoelements. The nanoelements and the fabricated nanostructures can be conducting, semi-conducting, or insulating, or any combination thereof. Factors for enhancing the assembly process are identified, including optimization of the electric field and combined dielectrophoretic and electrophoretic forces to drive assembly. The fabrication methods are rapid and scalable. The resulting nanostructures have electrical and optical properties that render them highly useful in nanoscale electronics, optics, and biosensors.

The invention disclosed herein includes electrode compositions formed from processes that sputter metal in a manner that produces pillar architectures. Embodiments of the invention can be used in analyte sensors having such electrode architectures as well as methods for making and using these sensor electrodes. A number of working embodiments of the invention are shown to be useful in amperometric glucose sensors worn by diabetic individuals. However, the metal pillar structures have wide ranging applicability and should increase surface area and decrease charge density for catalyst layers or electrodes used with sensing, power generation, recording, and stimulation, in vitro and/or in the body, or outside the body.

The present application relates to multifunctional hierarchically microstructured surfaces and three-dimensional anchored interfacial domain structures. The multifunctional properties are extremal. In one aspect the microstructured surfaces may be super-adhesive. Examples of super-adhesive mechanisms may include gas trapping, fluid trapping, and solid wrinkle trapping. In another aspect the micro structured surfaces may be nearly adhesive-less. Examples of adhesive-less mechanisms may include inter-solid surface lubrication, energy conserving fluid flows, and super-low drag phase-phase lateral displacement. The extremal structures may be obtained by anchoring mechanisms. Examples of anchoring mechanisms may include Wenzel-Cassie formation, contact angle confusion, and capillary effects.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of through-holes (132) in a layer of material by subjecting the layer to directional dry etching to provide through-holes (132) in the layer of material; For batch-wise production, the method comprises after a step of providing a layer of first material (220) on base material and before the step of directional dry etching, providing a plurality of holes at the central locations of pits (210), etching base material at the central locations of the pits (210) so as to form a cavity (280) with an aperture (281), depositing a second layer of material (240) on the base material in the cavity (280), and subjecting the second layer of material (240) in the cavity (280) to said step of directional dry etching using the aperture (281) as the opening (141) of a shadow mask.

A substrate for sensing, a method of manufacturing the substrate, and an analyzing apparatus including the substrate are provided. The substrate for sensing includes: a support layer; a plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters arranged on the support layer; and a plurality of perforations arranged among the plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters. The plurality of metal nanoparticle clusters each comprise a plurality of metal nanoparticles stacked in a three-dimensional structure. Each of the plurality of perforations transmits incident light therethrough.

A MEMS device includes a first structure including at least one first bump over a surface of the first structure, a second structure including a first side facing the surface of the first bump and a second side opposite to the first side, and a gap between the first structure and the second structure. The first structure and the second structure are configured to move in relation to each other. The first bump includes a plurality of first teeth over a stop surface of the first bump.

A microelectromechanical component including, vertically at a distance from one another, a substrate device, a first, a second, and a third functional layer, a vertical stop being formed between the second and third functional layer, the vertical stop having a stop area on a surface of the second functional layer facing the third functional layer, wherein the second functional layer is connected to the first functional layer in a connecting area allocated to the stop area.

A MEMS device includes a first structure including at least one first bump over a surface of the first structure, a second structure including a first side facing the surface of the first bump and a second side opposite to the first side, and a gap between the first structure and the second structure. The first structure and the second structure are configured to move in relation to each other. The first bump includes a plurality of first teeth over a stop surface of the first bump.

Devices, systems and techniques are described for producing and implementing articles and materials having nanoscale and microscale structures that exhibit superhydrophobic, superoleophobic or omniphobic surface properties and other enhanced properties. In one aspect, a surface nanostructure can be formed by adding a silicon-containing buffer layer such as silicon, silicon oxide or silicon nitride layer, followed by metal film deposition and heating to convert the metal film into balled-up, discrete islands to form an etch mask. The buffer layer can be etched using the etch mask to create an array of pillar structures underneath the etch mask, in which the pillar structures have a shape that includes cylinders, negatively tapered rods, or cones and are vertically aligned. In another aspect, a method of fabricating microscale or nanoscale polymer or metal structures on a substrate is made by photolithography and/or nano imprinting lithography.