Materials and techniques used in nanostructure fabrication

Abstract

A high-resolution electron beam has been used to generate metal structures 8 nm wide and 10 nm high using ’’contamination’’ resist and dense metal patterns with 25 nm linewidths on 50-nm centers using PMMA resist. These resist materials together with standard deposition techniques and ion beam milling have been used to prepare a variety of structures on the order of nanometers in dimension. Present metal structure dimensions are limited by electron backscattering events in the substrate, the microstructure of the metallic thin film, and unknowns in the contamination resist process itself. The processing techniques are discussed as well as the preparation of substrates which are almost transparent to the electron beam.

The Physics and Chemistry of the Lithographic Process

“…Two main approaches (48) have been used. Firstly the sample substrate is made so thin that electron backscattering is minimized.…”

“…[48] and [49]; likewise I0 is equivalent to Dig or D~). The contrast of the resist is related to the (CMTF) resist as shown in Fig.…”

Resizing Metal‐Coated Nanopores Using a Scanning Electron Microscope

“…For example, EBID has been used for the gradual shrinking of nanopores by depositing several layers of SiO 2 successively 17. A simpler variant of EBID is the deposition of hydrocarbons without a gas‐injection system, whereby hydrocarbons present in background oil vapors from the vacuum system serve as a ‘contamination resist’ for the deposition 18. Carbon deposition is often responsible for the rectangular ‘footprint’ left on a specimen after scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging.…”

Through a Window, Brightly: A Review of Selected Nanofabricated Thin-Film Platforms for Spectroscopy, Imaging, and Detection

“…More streamlined fabrication approaches have tackled the limitations of using hand-applied epoxy to seal the cell: thin-film indium can serve to seal the sample cell and define the liquid reservoir height; direct wafer bonding has also been used for cell sealing and is compatible with the use of well-defined hard spacers to define the liquid channel height. 42,167 There is considerable variability and flexibility-depending on acceptable performance specifications-in the construction of devices using thin-film windows in a Si frame (e.g., SiN x , SiO 2 4,6-10, 186,187 ), including using hand-applied epoxy as spacer and for bonding (for a $5 mm gap), hand-applied nanoparticles as spacers, and patternable photoresist spacers. 20,[36][37][38]40,42,43,179,188 Recent advances in materials science have broadened the choice of window materials beyond traditional nanofabrication materials and, in a sense, have resurrected the use of thin, carbon-based films.…”