| AVS 63rd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Nanometer-scale Science and Technology | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session NS-TuM |
| Session: | Nanodiamonds, Thin Films and Electronics (8:20–10:00 am)/Health and Environmental Impact of Nanotechnology (11:00 am–12:20 pm) |
| Presenter: | Aiden Martin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Authors: | A.A. Martin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory A. Bahm, FEI Company J. Bishop, University of Technology, Sydney I. Aharonovich, University of Technology, Sydney M. Toth, University of Technology, Sydney |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Spontaneous formation of complex geometric patterns is an interesting phenomenon that provides fundamental insights into underlying roles of symmetry breaking, anisotropy and non-linear interactions. Here we present dynamic, highly ordered topographic patterns on the surface of diamond that span multiple length scales and have a symmetry controlled by the chemical species of a precursor gas used in electron beam induced etching (EBIE).
We provide an anisotropic etch rate kinetics model that fully explains the observed patterns, and reveals an electron energy transfer pathway that has been over-looked by existing EBIE theory. We therefore propose a fundamental modification, whereby the critical role of energetic electrons is to transfer energy to surface atoms of the solid rather than to surface-adsorbed precursor molecules.
EBIE is a high resolution, direct-write nanofabrication technique in which a precursor gas and an electron beam are used to realize etching. A key advantage of EBIE is the ability to etch materials such as diamond that are resistant to conventional chemical etch processes, without introducing damage to the substrate as observed in ion sputtering techniques. As a result, EBIE has recently been used to fabricate components for photonic and electronic applications. Our findings can be harnessed to engineer specific surface patterns under various electron beam irradiation environments for controlled wetting, optical structuring and other emerging applications that require nano and micro-scale surface texturing.
A portion of this work was funded by FEI Company and the Australian Research Council (Project Number DP140102721). A portion of this work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. I.A. is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award (Project Number DE130100592).