AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS-TuP

Paper NS-TuP4
An Innovative Approach to Nanoscale Device Fabrication

Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 4:00 pm, Room Exhibit Hall C&D

Session: Nanometer Scale Science and Technology Poster Session
Presenter: E.A. Akhadov, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Authors: E.A. Akhadov, Los Alamos National Laboratory
A.H. Mueller, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M.A. Hoffbauer, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
A recently developed technology exclusive to LANL, called Energetic Neutral Beam Lithography/Epitaxy (ENABLE), offers exceptional opportunities for producing nanoscale structures and for synthesizing thin film materials. ENABLE utilizes reactive neutral atomic species (O and N) having kinetic energies comparable to chemical bonds strengths (a few eV) for etching very high-aspect-ratio features into polymers and for growing oxide and nitride thin films at low temperatures. Using energetic oxygen atoms, numerous nanoscale structures have been fabricated into polymer films that contain sub-100 nm features with very high aspect ratios (in some cases >35:1). For example, using a nanosphere-defined mask a polyimide film was etched to form a periodic array of 5.4 micron tall, 250 nm diameter pillars. As a novel application, nanoscale polymer templates can be fabricated and used for growing nitride (AlN, GaN, etc.) and oxide (Al@sub 2@0@sub 3@, SiO@sub 2@, etc.) structures. This novel fabrication approach can easily be expanded to make 2- and 3-dimensional structures and devices with multiple functionalities. The latest results utilizing ENABLE for producing photonic crystals, MEMS and NEMS devices, microfluidic channels, and novel electronic devices will be discussed.