| AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Helium Ion Microscopy Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session HI+2D+AS+MC-ThA |
| Session: | Nanoengineering with Helium Ion Beams |
| Presenter: | James Sagar, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK |
| Authors: | J. Sagar, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK C. Nash, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK N. Braz, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK T. Wootton, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK M.J.L. Sourribes, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK T.-T. Nguyen, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK R.B. Jackman, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK P.A. Warburton, London Centre for Nanotechnology, UK |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
J. Sagar1, C. R. Nash1, N. Braz1,2, T. Wootton1,2, M. J. L. Sourribes1,2, T.-T. Nguyen1,2, R. B. Jackman1,2, and P. A. Warburton1,2
1London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, London, WCH1 0AH, UK
2Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, Uk
Using a Zeiss Orion NanoFab we have created sub-100nm devices for experiments in quantum electronics and nanophotonics. The Orion NanoFab has the ability form an ion beam with either helium or neon gas. This makes the Nanofab a much more versatile instrument for nanofabrication since large area mills can be performed using Ne without the need for a Ga FIB column. The use of a Ne gas field ion source (GFIS) in the Orion NanoFab allows fabrication of sub-100nm devices on timescales comparable to that of conventional liquid Ga FIB but with considerably enhanced fidelity due to an increased sputter yield (ten times greater than that of He) whilst retaining a small probe size (≤ 5nm). Using a Ne ion beam we have fabricated two kinds of nanoscale superconducting devices: a superconducting nanowire based on a compound low-TC superconductor; and an array of nanoscale Josephson junctions based on a compound oxide high-TC superconductor. The use of an inert-gas ion species in these devices is extremely important as Ga implantation into superconducting materials has previously been shown to suppress superconductivity. The extremely small probe size of the He GFIS has allowed us to create sub-20nm apertures in a variety of materials. Sub-20nm apertures in InAs nanowires and in graphene have been fabricated for experiments in quantum coherent electronics and quantum nanophotonics respectively.