Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (IC&SR) , IIT Madras

Maskless Nanopatterning Of Polymer Films For Flexible Electronics And Sensor Applications

Technology Category/Market

Category – Advanced Materials & Manufacturing /Micro & Nano Technologies

Industry Classification:

Flexible Electronics; Biomedical and Lab-on-a-chip devices

Applications:

Wearable sensors; Smart implants and medical devices such as pacemakers; Microwells for cell culture; Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and advanced flexible devices such as transparent conductors and supercapacitors.

Market report:

The Global market for flexible electronics and nano-patterned substrates was valued between USD 25–30 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to 80-100 Billion by 2035 with a CAGR of 10- 12%.

Problem Statement

  • Nanopatterning of polymeric surfaces by precision control of surface topography is needed for flexible electronics, wearable sensors, smart implants, SERS substrates, and high-throughput cell culture platforms.
  • Conventional soft lithography is limited by the need for a silicon master (to transfer the pattern onto polymers) and capital-intensive fabrication facility.
  • Further, nanosphere and nano-imprint lithography techniques improve resolution but utilizes toxic gases, expensive process equipment, and complex processes while facing issues such as low throughput, and limited scalability.
  • There is a need for a simple technique of nano-patterning of polymer surfaces that is scalable, biocompatible, and cost-effective, while providing high-resolution without post-processing or toxic materials.

Technology

  • A low-cost method using plasma asher replaces RIE for forming nanopatterns on PDMS or hydrogel surfaces, with polystyrene particle sizes between 50–1000 nm determining the final pattern resolution..
  • Polystyrene (or other biodegradable) particles are drop-cast to form monolayers, eliminating need for special systems. These particles guide the final nanoscale pattern features upon plasma etching.
  • Nanopatterns are created using oxygen plasma under 60–300 W power, 100–300 mTorr pressure, and 5–20 sccm flow, ensuring eco-friendly fabrication without damaging the base polymer.
  • The method produces fully functional nanopatterned surfaces with no additional steps, saving time and operational cost while improving yield and throughput for industrial scale-up.
  • Additional wrinkle patterns can be formed with higher plasma power (150–1500 W), enhancing surface area—beneficial for sensing applications such as SERS or wearables requiring higher signal sensitivity.

Key Features/Value Proposition

  • The invention uses a Plasma Asher that is significantly cost-effective and lowers the capital expenditure (equipment cost is typically 5 Lakhs INR) for SMEs compared to the expensive conventionally used RIE tools.
  • Compared to complex multi-step master-fabrication and post-processing required in conventional methods the invention can achieve feature sizes down to 25 nm, equivalent to high-NA EUV lithography.
  • Moreover, the fabricated nanopatterned substrates are reusable even after the template transfer.
  • Avoids toxic gases used in RIE; employs biocompatible materials and reduces carbon footprint.
  • The invention is a linear, batch-process method adaptable to UV nanoimprint lithography, suitable for mass production of sensors and devices.
Questions about this Technology?

Contact for Licensing

Research Lab

Prof. Parasuraman Swaminathan

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

 

Intellectual Property

  • IITM IDF Ref 2730
  • IN 202341079046 Patent Application

Technology Readiness Level

TRL 4

Technology Validated in Lab