Intaglio Nanotemplates Based on Atomic Force Microscopy for Ferroelectric Nanodots

We demonstrate the nanointaglio process to form a nanotemplate and a series of nanoscale grooves using atomic force microscopy. Nanopores with a diameter of 20 nm were hoed on the surface of a SrTiO3 thin film epitaxially grown on a Nb-doped SrTiO3 substrate using a diamond tip. For the demonstration of the nanointaglio process, a nanotrench was formed as an intaglio with a length of approximately 150 nm and a width of approximately 20 nm. The nanointaglio process enables the fabrication of a nanotemplate with a highest packed hexagonal array, with a density of approximately 9.3 × 1014/m2. A ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-ran-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF–TrFE) nanodot with a diameter of about 20 nm was formed by filling a nanopore with a PVDF–TrFE solution, whose ferroelectric properties were confirmed using piezoelectric force microscopy.