Figure 12.

SEM images of cover slips after lithography under various conditions where the removal of the seeding layer and the degradation of the patterns can be seen. The intention was to grow ZnO nanorods only within the square patterns. (a) slight overexposure and overdevelopment were used; the seeding layer is completely removed after being degraded by the UV exposure and the developer which acts as an etchant has sipped under the photoresist in a way similar to creating undercuts in wet etching techniques (b) optimum exposure time and underdevelopment (the seeding layer “survives” only under the borderlines of the photoresist where the photoresist is slightly thicker, while the developer which acts as an etchant does not have the time to sip through. As a result ZnO nanorods grew only at the circumference of the pattern).