ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the near-field laser ablation (NF-LA) that does not require a complex system to pattern a large surface area. One method for imaging the complex 2D near-field intensity distribution beneath a scattering colloidal particle has recently been demonstrated. Another recent milestone study in the arena of material processing based on near-field optical lithography employed optical trapping methods to hold a colloidal particle in a liquid medium and thereby enable direct-write nanopatterning. Laser-initiated liquid-assisted colloidal (LILAC) lithography exploits many of the virtues of both of these methods. The chapter presents the LILAC lithography technique and illustrates its potential applicability for a range of applications in microelectronics, nanophotonics, and nanomedicine. It then details each step in the implementation of LILAC lithography and a theoretical and experimental approach to this novel surface patterning technique. The chapter further considers the phenomena that need to be considered when the laser beam penetrates a layer of liquid en route to the substrate surface.
