Fabrication of thin-film metal nanobridges

Ralls, K. S.; Buhrman, R. A.; Tiberio, R. C.

doi:10.1063/1.102001

Cited by 101 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The experimental challenge in effecting this strategy comes from the fact that thẽ 100 nm diameter (not shown) is created. Initially we used a combination of e-beam lithography and reactive ion etching to create these structures in a technique developed by Ralls et al 14 , but we now routinely use a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) machine 13 . Ion Beam Sculpting System.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ion-beam sculpting at nanometre length scales

Li¹,

Stein

McMullan

et al. 2001

Nature

1,573

1,427

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ion-beam sculpting at nanometre length scales

Li¹,

Stein

McMullan

et al. 2001

Nature

1,573

1,427

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“…1(a) were fabricated as follows [10]: First electron-beam lithography and reactive-ion etching were used to make a bowl-shaped hole in a suspended silicon nitride membrane, with an orifice between 5 and 10 nm in diameter [79]. The gate electrode was formed by evaporating 12 nm of Al onto the flat [bottom in Fig.…”

Section: Device Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectroscopy of discrete energy levels in ultrasmall metallic grains

2001

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We review recent experimental and theoretical work on ultrasmall metallic grains, i.e. grains sufficiently small that the conduction electron energy spectrum becomes discrete. The discrete excitation spectrum of an individual grain can be measured by the technique of single-electron tunneling spectroscopy: the spectrum is extracted from the current-voltage characteristics of a single-electron transistor containing the grain as central island. We review experiments studying the influence on the discrete spectrum of superconductivity, nonequilibrium excitations, spin-orbit scattering and ferromagnetism. We also review the theoretical descriptions of these phenomena in ultrasmall grains, which require modifications or extensions of the standard bulk theories to include the effects of level discreteness.

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“…[12][13][14] This technique relies on the fact that single ion bombardment of polycarbonate foils produces a track that can be subsequently chemically etched in a basic medium, such as NaOH. Although channels as small as a few nanometers can be formed, they have the disadvantage of possessing a high aspect ratio since the used foils have thicknesses of the order of 10 m. Ralls et al 15 fashioned 10 nm pores in free-standing Si 3 N 4 membranes using electron-beam lithography and time-controlled reactive ion etching that is stopped right after the pores are formed. Manipulation of material transport with a focused Ar + -ion beam was studied by Li et al 9 in order to close prefabricated pores in Si 3 N 4 membranes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of nanopores in a SiN∕SiO2 membrane with an electron beam

Krapf

Zandbergen

et al. 2005

Applied Physics Letters

117

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An electron beam can drill nanopores in SiO 2 or silicon nitride membranes and shrink a pore to a smaller diameter. Such nanopores are promising for single molecule detection. The pore formation in a 40 nm thick silicon nitride/SiO 2 bilayer using an electron beam with a diameter of 8 nm ͑full width of half height͒ was investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy with silicon nitride facing toward and away from the source. The O loss shows almost linear-independent of which layer faces the source, while N loss is quite complicated. After the formation of a pore, the membrane presents a wedge shape over a 70 nm radius around the nanopore. © 2005 American Institute of Physics. ͓DOI: 10.1063/1.2043247͔One can locally change a material with an intense electron beam. For instance, one can amorphousize 1 or drill a hole in a crystalline material. 2 Likewise, one can change an amorphous material, such that it crystallizes 3 or that material is removed thus creating a pore. 4 Also, as we have recently shown, 4,5 it is possible to shrink a pore in a SiO 2 membrane to a smaller size. This process is driven by a minimization of the surface energy and is facilitated by a glasslike behavior that can occur at low temperature due to bond breaking by the electron beam. Thus, the electron beam allows a variety of changes, but its possibilities in nanofabrication have so far been explored minimally.The capability of making nanopores with accurate size in an insulating material, such as silicon nitride or SiO 2 , is very useful for the manufacture of single molecule sensors. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] By measuring the ionic current through a voltage-biased nanopore, one can detect individual biopolymers that are pulled through the pore by the electric field. 6 When a molecule enters the channel, it displaces its own volume of solution, thereby it modifies the channel electrical impedance and a change in the ionic current can be recorded. Rapid oligonucleotide discrimination on the single molecule level has been demonstrated using ␣-hemolysin pores in lipid bilayers 7,8 and, more recently, solid-state nanopores were used for a first study of folding effects in double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid ͑DNA͒ molecules. 5,11 Future applications of this technique may include DNA size determination, haplotyping, and sequencing.A variety of methods have been developed by different groups to obtain single nanopores in insulating membranes. Nuclear track etching was used to fabricate nanochannels in polymer foils. [12][13][14] This technique relies on the fact that single ion bombardment of polycarbonate foils produces a track that can be subsequently chemically etched in a basic medium, such as NaOH. Although channels as small as a few nanometers can be formed, they have the disadvantage of possessing a high aspect ratio since the used foils have thicknesses of the order of 10 m. Ralls et al. 15 fashioned 10 nm pores in free-standing Si 3 N 4 membranes using electron-beam lithography and time-controlled reactive ion etching that is stop...

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Fabrication of thin-film metal nanobridges

Cited by 101 publications

References 5 publications

Ion-beam sculpting at nanometre length scales

Ion-beam sculpting at nanometre length scales

Spectroscopy of discrete energy levels in ultrasmall metallic grains

Formation of nanopores in a SiN∕SiO2 membrane with an electron beam

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