The techniques are called soft lithography because the tool they have in common is a block of polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS)—the rubbery polymer used to caulk the leaks around bathtubs. (Physicists often refer to such organic chemicals as “soft matter.
这类技术称为软蚀刻术,因为其中共有的工具是一块聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS),这是一种用来填塞浴缸裂缝的橡胶聚合物(物理学家通常称这种有机化学材料为「软物质」)。