Nanostructuring of free-standing, dielectric membranes using electron-beam           lithography

Grepstad, J. K.; Greve, Martin; Reisinger, T.; Holst, Bodil

doi:10.1116/1.4820019

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The thickness of the chrome layer needs to be adjusted so that it is thick enough to act as a protective layer during the entire etching process. An alternative way to create hole patterns in silicon nitride membranes is described in [23]. An image of the atom sieve can be seen in Fig.…”

Section: Atom-sieve Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focusing of a neutral helium beam with a photon-sieve structure

et al. 2015

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The manipulation of low-energy beams of neutral atoms and molecules via their de Broglie wavelength is a branch of atom optics often referred to as de Broglie matter wave optics. The application areas include fundamental quantum mechanics, atom interferometry, and the development of new microscopy instrumentation. The focusing of de Broglie matter waves with a Fresnel zone plate was used to demonstrate the first neutral helium microscopy imaging. The ultimate resolution of such a microscope is limited by the width of the outermost zone. Because a Fresnel zone plate for atoms cannot be fabricated on a substrate (the low-energy atom beams would not be able to penetrate the substrate material), this gives a fabrication determined limit for the first-order focus of around 30-50 nm. Therefore, it is important to search for alternative optical elements that enable higher resolution. Photon sieves consist of a large number of pinholes, arranged suitably relative to the Fresnel zones. The great advantages are that the width of the pinholes can be larger than the respective Fresnel zones and a free-standing pinhole is much easier to fabricate than a free-standing zone. Thus, with a photon-sieve structure applied for de Broglie matter wave manipulation, the fabrication limit for focusing is reduced to potentially around 3-5 nm. Here we present a realization of such an "atom sieve," which we fabricated out of a silicon nitride (SiN) membrane, using electron-beam lithography and reactive ion etching. Our atom sieve is 178 p m in diameter and has 31 991 holes. The diameter of the holes varies from 1840 to 150 nm. Using abeam of neutral, ground-state helium atoms with an average wavelength of 0.055 nm, we demonstrate helium atom focusing down to a spot size of less than 4 pm . The focus size is limited by the intrinsic velocity spread of the helium beam.

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Section: Atom-sieve Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focusing of a neutral helium beam with a photon-sieve structure

et al. 2015

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“…The process can be divided into graphic design, direct writing on a layer of photoresist, development, fixing, and subsequent material transfer. [137,138] EBL can achieve arbitrary graphic direct writing under a computer-controlled framework; thus, this approach is a promising candidate for making photomasks in industrial applications. [139,140] Moreover, spot size, electron scattering, secondary-electron range, resist development, and mechanical stability of the resist are important factors that influence the EBL resolution.…”

Section: Electronic Beammentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and Future Trends for Polymer Micro/Nanoprocessing in Industrial Applications

et al. 2022

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Polymers are widely used in optical devices, electronic devices, energy‐harvesting/storage devices, and sensors, owing to their low weight, excellent flexibility, and simple fabrication process. With advancements in micro/nanoprocessing techniques and more demanding application requirements, it is becoming necessary to realize high‐resolution fabrication of polymers to prepare miniaturized devices. This is particularly because conventional processing technologies suffer from high thermal stress and strong adhesion/friction, which can irreversibly damage the micro/nanostructures of miniaturized devices. In addition, although the use of advanced fabrication methods to prepare high‐resolution micro/nanostructures is explored, these methods are limited to laboratory research or small‐batch production. This review focuses on the micro/nanoprocessing of polymeric materials and devices with high spatial precision and replication accuracy for industrial applications. Specifically, the current state‐of‐the‐art techniques and future trends for micro/nanomolding, high‐energy beam processing, and micro/nanomachining are discussed. Moreover, an overview of the fabrication and applications of various polymer‐based elements and devices such as microlenses, biosensors, and transistors is provided. These techniques are expected to be widely applied for multiscale and multimaterial processing as well as for multifunction integration in next‐generation integrated devices, such as photoelectric, smart, and biodegradable devices.

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“…The fabrication procedure is described in detail in Ref. 26. It is worth mentioning that the process was optimized slightly to ensure that the holes were etched through the SiN x completely, using 15 SCCM CF 4 for 21 min at 10 mTorr and 100 W for the final etch step.…”

Section: Fig 1 Experimental Setupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fast resolution change in neutral helium atom microscopy

Flatabø

Eder

Ravn

et al. 2018

Review of Scientific Instruments

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In neutral helium atom microscopy, a beam of atoms is scanned across a surface. Though still in its infancy, neutral helium microscopy has seen a rapid development over the last few years. The inertness and low energy of the helium atoms (less than 0.1 eV) combined with a very large depth of field and the fact that the helium atoms do not penetrate any solid material at low energies open the possibility for a non-destructive instrument that can measure topology on the nanoscale even on fragile and insulating surfaces. The resolution is determined by the beam spot size on the sample. Fast resolution change is an attractive property of a microscope because it allows different aspects of a sample to be investigated and makes it easier to identify specific features. However up till now it has not been possible to change the resolution of a helium microscope without breaking the vacuum and changing parts of the atom source. Here we present a modified source design, which allows fast, step wise resolution change. The basic design idea is to insert a moveable holder with a series of collimating apertures in front of the source, thus changing the effective source size of the beam and thereby the spot size on the surface and thus the microscope resolution. We demonstrate a design with 3 resolution steps. The number of resolution steps can easily be extended.

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Nanostructuring of free-standing, dielectric membranes using electron-beam lithography

Cited by 7 publications

References 19 publications

Focusing of a neutral helium beam with a photon-sieve structure

Focusing of a neutral helium beam with a photon-sieve structure

Current and Future Trends for Polymer Micro/Nanoprocessing in Industrial Applications

Fast resolution change in neutral helium atom microscopy

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