Design of a nano-printer based on AFPN (Active Fountain Pen Nano-lithography) using switch control

In this paper, the design and the construction analysis of an innovative nano-printer system are presented. A nano-printer system is comprised of automatic transmission parts and modified Active Fountain Pen Nano-lithography (AFPN) device. The patterning is made by a switch control method. For accurate control and fabrication of this device, the fluidic system is simplified by embedding a PZT (Lead Zirconate Titan:ate) plate in the nano-printer. And, without the cantilevers connecting the reservoir and tip, less energy loss is induced and the whole device becomes more sophisticated. In this paper, the critical channel size is decided for the whole simulation, and then the mechanical and piezoelectric properties of PZT are analyzed by the commercial software, ANSYS. The deformation of the PZT can be controlled precisely. Based on the analysis of the fluidic dynamics of this system, the line width of the pattern was found to depend on the mass of the meniscus formed at the tip. As long as the initial mass of the meniscus is set, the maximum patterning speed can be determined as well. Consequently the printing velocity of this system can be increased considerably beyond that of DPN (Dip- Pen Nano-lithography) or FPN (Fountain Pen Nano-lithography) because the mass of meniscus can be controlled by the applied voltage.