Patterned deposition from compressed carbon dioxide

Compressed CO₂ is employed as the solvent for the deposition of polymers onto patterned surfaces created by a lithographic technique. This deposition technique should have wide applicability in the deposition of organic and polymeric materials for optoelectronic devices. The advantage of controlled deposition confers a further benefit in the control of the patterned surface. In a specific example a perfluorinated polymer was dissolved in liquid carbon dioxide. The polymer solution was deposited by use of a nozzle onto a pre-patterned surface. The resulting polymer film showed a clear image of the original pattern as measured by optical microscopy.