AVS 49th International Symposium
    Processing at the Nanoscale Thursday Sessions
       Session PN-ThA

Paper PN-ThA2
Electron Beam Patterning with Carboneous Contamination Rezists below 10 nm Linewidth

Thursday, November 7, 2002, 2:20 pm, Room C-109

Session: Charged Particle Patterning and Emission
Presenter: M. Malac, University of Alberta, Canada
Authors: M. Malac, University of Alberta, Canada
J. Lau, Brookhaven National Laboratory
R. Egerton, University of Alberta, Canada
M. Freeman, University of Alberta, Canada
Y. Zhu, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
We have studied the processes determining the resolution limits of contamination patterning in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) as a means to produce magnetic nanostructures. By optimizing the exposure parameters we achieved linewidth of 7 nm. Sputter etch was used to transfer the pattern to cobalt, permalloy and bismuth films on silicon nitride membranes. Previously the resolution of the technique was determined by the crystallite size of the patterned film.@footnote 1@ We have investigated patterning of our structures within one large crystallite and we have studied the limitations dictated by the kinetics of the surface diffusion processes. A comparison of pattern writing at conditions when importance of surface diffusion is suppressed (high dose rate and high writing speed) with diffusion controlled writing (slow writing at low dose rate) was made. We have explored the reproducibility and suitability of different types of materials for precontaminating the samples. Transmission electron microscopy, electron holography, electron energy loss spectroscopy and high resolution TEM was used to characterize structure and to study properties of such structures. @FootnoteText@@footnote 1@Broers et al, Appl. Phys. Letters 29 (9), 1976 page 596.