Resist lithography is an important microfabrication technique in the electronics industry. In this, patterns are transferred by irradiation onto a photosensitive polymer. SU-8 has emerged as a favorite photoresist for High Aspect Ratio (HAR) lithography, showing high chemical and mechanical stability and biocompatibility. Unfortunately, its poor adhesion to substrates is a drawback, with possible solutions being the use of low-viscosity SU-8, surface modification with a low molecular weight adsorbate like hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), or a commercial adhesion promotion reagent. However, HMDS and the commercial reagent require surface dehydration and/or curing, and a modified form of SU-8 is not always desirable. Here, we demonstrate the use of a water-soluble, amine-containing polymer, polyallylamine (PAAm), which spontaneously adsorbs to silica surfaces, as a simple, easy-to-apply, and reactive adhesion promoter for SU-8. Conditions for the use of PAAm are explored, and the resulting materials are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and wetting.

We have assembled a scanning tunneling microscope with an inverted sample that allows the sample surface to be contacted by fluid electrolytes in a controlled atmosphere. A hanging meniscus is formed between the sample and a small cup surrounding the tunneling tip. In-situ imaging of the electrode/electrolyte interface is conveniently achieved with clean samples under potentiostatic control. The functioning of the microscope is illustrated by the imaging of the electrodeposition of copper on gold. This microscope has been used to image hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces and to demonstrate that islands, tentatively assigned as silicon oxide, are formed on rinsing in water but can be avoided if the surface is not rinsed on withdrawal from the ammonium fluoride etching solution. Finally, STM shows that the convenient, gas-phase photochlorination of H-Si(111) produces the simple Cl-Si(111)(1×1) structure with little or no etching of the silicon surface.