DNA-assisted molecular lithography

During the past decade, DNA origami has become a popular method to build custom two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) DNA nanostructures. These programmable structures could further serve as templates for accurate nanoscale patterning, and therefore they could find uses in various biotechnological applications. However, to transfer the spatial information of DNA origami to metal nanostructures has been limited to either direct nanoparticle-based patterning or chemical growth of metallic seed particles that are attached to the DNA objects. Here, we present an alternative way by combining DNA origami with conventional lithography techniques. With this DNA-assisted lithography (DALI) method, we can create plasmonic, entirely metallic nanostructures in a highly accurate and parallel manner on different substrates. We demonstrate our technique by patterning a transparent substrate with discrete bowtie-shaped nanoparticles, i.e., “nanoantennas” or “optical antennas,” with a feature size of approximately 10 nm. Owing to the versatility of DNA origami, this method can be effortlessly generalized to other shapes and sizes.