Controlled chattering—a new ‘cutting-edge’ technology for nanofabrication

Chatters are unwanted random defects on surfaces often generated in cutting samples via microtome for micrographic analysis. In this work, we demonstrate that chatters can actually be controlled for fabrication of uniform periodic wavy patterns on polymethylmethacrylate surfaces. This control in chattering is achieved based on an oscillation cutting mechanism. Pattern sizes ranging from 30 nm to a few micrometers are obtained by fine-tuning cutting speed and oscillating frequency. This simple one-step non-lithographic 'cutting-edge' technology is simple and robust, with no chemical reactions and by-products involved and ease in scaling up for long-range and large-areas patterns.