Formation of patterned microstructures of conducting polymers by soft lithography, and applications in microelectronic device fabrication

The micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) soft lithographic process is demonstrated in the fabrication of patterned microstructures of conducting polymers with feature sizes ranging from about 350 nm to 50 μm on insulating substrates. The method is simple, convenient and potentially low-cost. The only requirement is that the polymer can be dissolved or dispersed in a solvent that does not significantly swell the polydimethylsiloxane mold. The patterned microstructures can be used directly as electrodes in microelectronics fabrication and sensors.