The color press reached a diffraction limit

Engineers created technology of the color press which permission reaches theoretically possible diffraction limit - 100 thousand points on inch. The technology developed by authors is based on the resonance phenomenon плазмонов in thin metal films. At the first stage on a silicon plate by means of electron beam lithograph create microscopic vertical cylinders. Then on them напыляют a layer of precious metals - silver and gold, creating at top of silicon cylinders metal nanodisks. If nanodisks on a surface of silicon have different diameter and periodicity of an arrangement, they differently cooperate with light falling on them.
Changing diameter and periodicity of nanodisks, it is possible to give to separate parts of a plate different color, without using thus some any paints. To calculate compliance between the sizes of microscopic cylinders and a range of reflected light, researchers created special mathematical model which allowed to calculate necessary parameters of lithograph on the basis of the demanded image.
Authors managed to increase ten times almost permission of the color press in comparison with the best industrial samples using paint. According to them, such technology can be applied to manufacturing of nanodimensional optical filters, storage or the hidden information transfer, and also as additional extent of protection of securities.
Earlier other group of engineers showed somewhat return technology - manufacturing of nanostructures by means of the equipment which has been initially intended for the press by paints. Scientists used an inkjet printing for creation of microscopic vertical structures from quickly stiffening polymer.