Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Scalable and Sustainable Dry Microfabrication Enabled by High-Precision and Wafer-Scale Transfer Lithography of Commercial Photoresists

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02215-7
Qinhua Guo
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Zhiqing Xu
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Lizhou Yang
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Jingyang Zhang
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Yawen Gan
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Jiajun Zhang
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Jiahao Jiang
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China
Yunda Wang
Smart Manufacturing Thrust, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511400, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Yunda Wang

ydwang@ust.hk

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 357

Abstract

Conventional photolithography is inherently limited to flat, rigid, and stable substrates, which severely restricts its applicability to flexible, curved, and transient electronic devices. This work presents an innovative transfer method that exploits a phase-changing polymer with dynamically switchable adhesion to enable universal transfer of commercial photoresists onto a broad range of previously incompatible substrates, thereby overcoming the fundamental limitations of traditional photolithography. Remarkably, this method achieves reliable wafer-scale (~ 4-inch) transfer with a global registration error below 60 µm, unlocking high-fidelity patterning on challenging surfaces such as solvent-sensitive, curved, microtextured, or fragile substrates. Combined with dry etching, this study demonstrates a new route for high-resolution patterning of delicate functional materials, including quantum dots and organic semiconductors. Moreover, it supports a sustainable “dry lift-off” process for patterning functional layers, demonstrating a successful high-resolution microfabrication on paper-based substrate. The reusability of both the transfer carrier and photoresist markedly enhances process sustainability and scalability, representing a significant advance in microfabrication. This unprecedented capability is further demonstrated by fabricating a micro-sized UV photodetector array featuring wide-angle sensing capability on a curved glass bottle.


Highlights:
1 Universal, high-precision and wafer-scale (~ 4-inch) transfer lithography of multiple commercial photoresists for patterning various lithography-incompatible substrates.
2 A novel route for etching-enabled high-resolution patterning of susceptible materials (e.g., quantum dots and organic semiconductors).
3 A sustainable “dry lift-off” for functional material patterning and advanced device manufacturing (e.g., paper-based electronics and curved electronics).

Keywords

Photoresist transfer Unconventional surface patterning Reversible adhesion Sustainable microfabrication Phase-changing polymers
Guo, Qinhua, Zhiqing Xu, Lizhou Yang, Jingyang Zhang, Yawen Gan, Jiajun Zhang, Jiahao Jiang, and Yunda Wang. 2026. “Scalable and Sustainable Dry Microfabrication Enabled by High-Precision and Wafer-Scale Transfer Lithography of Commercial Photoresists”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (May):357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02215-7.
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