Pattern formation by temperature-gradient driven film instabilities in laterally confined geometries.

Film break-up driven by an electric field or temperature gradient typically exhibit a characteristic length scale. The presence of a lateral confinement significantly alters this pattern formation process.

Molecular forces caused by the confinement of thermal noise.

We have investigated spontaneous surface instabilities of very thin polymer films. Film stability and the wavelength of the dominating unstable mode were found to depend sensitively on the media adjacent to the film. Our experimental results cannot be explained by van der Waals interactions alone.

Hierarchical structure formation and pattern replication induced by an electric field.

Several techniques based on soft lithography have emerged to replicate micrometre-sized patterns. Similar to most other lithographic methods, these techniques structure a single layer of photo resist. For many applications, however, it is desirable to control the spatial arrangement of more than one component.