Accession Number:

ADA379939

Title:

Sub-Micron Lithography with the Atomic Force Microscope

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. 1 Apr 1996-31 Mar 2000

Corporate Author:

STANFORD UNIV CA

Personal Author(s):

• Quate, Calvin F.

Report Date:

2000-05-22

Pagination or Media Count:

9.0

Abstract:

We investigated methods for fabricating nanoscale devices with feature sizes below 100 nm. It was based on scanning probes as fabricated in our own facility. It was known from the beginning that the intense field at the tip of the probe could be used to selectively oxidize silicon if it was first passivated with hydrogen. It is a lithographic process since the oxidized regions serve as the etch mask when the pattern is transferred into the substrate. We investigated other methods of patterning. The major effort was the exposure of electron resist with electrons field emitted from the tip. We determined that there was no proximity effect in Scanning Probe Lithography. In later work we able to pattern very narrow lines. With electron resist we were successful in writing lines as narrow as 26 nm. With oxidization of Titanium films and with the use of carbon nanotubes for tips we were successful in writing lines 6 nm in width. We, also, improved the throughput by increasing the writing speed and writing with parallel arrays of probes.

Descriptors:

• *ELECTRON BEAM LITHOGRAPHY
• SCANNING
• PROBES
• SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPES
• NANOTECHNOLOGY

Subject Categories:

• Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering and Control of Production Systems
• Printing and Graphic Arts

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE