Shape-controlled fabrication of nanopatterned samarium-doped cerium oxide thin films using ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography

A shape-controlled method for the nanoscale patterning of cerium oxide thin films was demonstrated in this work. An ultraviolet-curable precursor-containing resin was newly developed for samarium-doped and undoped cerium oxide films, and ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography was employed for the nanopatterning. Various nanostructure shapes such as lines, circular pillars, and circular holes were fabricated, and a minimum feature width of 45 nm was realized by patterning and subsequently shrinking the structures. The fabricated film was confirmed to be cerium dioxide, both undoped and doped with Sm. The effects of the annealing temperature on the crystallinity of the nanostructure and the controllability of the doping ratio were investigated. We believe that this work will provide a new path for preparing nanostructured cerium oxide for energy applications and a basic platform for analyzing the relationship between the structure and performance of size-controlled nanostructures. - Highlights: • A shape-controlled method for top-down nanopatterning was demonstrated. • A UV-curable resin containing precursors was developed. • Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography was employed for the nanopatterning. • A minimum feature width of 45 nm was realized by patterning and annealing. • Undoped and samarium-doped CeO₂ thin films were confirmed by XRD and EDX.