AVS 50th International Symposium
    Nanometer Structures Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS-TuP

Paper NS-TuP23
Formation and Characterization of Nanopores

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A-C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: T. Schenkel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Authors: T. Schenkel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
V.R. Radmilovitch, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
A. Persaud, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
S.-J. Park, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
J. Nilsson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
The ability to form holes in membranes with diameters of only a few nanometers (1 to 10 nm) is of interest in many fields of nanometer scale science including single molecule studies, ion proximity lithography, and single atom doping. We report on studies of nanopore formation by local deposition of material in a dual beam focused ion beam system (FIB). Large holes with diameters of tens of nanometers are closed by the local deposition of platinum and TEOS oxide. We compare results from electron beam and ion beam assisted deposition of materials. Hole structure evolution is monitored in situ during hole closing by SEM. Hole profiles, local crystalline structure and materials composition are characterized ex situ by TEM. Nanopores with diameters in the 5 nm range have been formed in low stress silicon nitride membranes. We will discuss process reproducibility, and mechanisms of local structure evolution.@footnote 1@ @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ This work was performed at the National Center for Electron Microscopy at the E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and was supported by the National Security Agency and Advanced Research and Development Activity under Army Research Office contract number MOD707501, and by the U. S. Department of Energy under contract No. DE-AC03-76SF00098.