Direct Writing of Metal Nanostructures with Focused Helium Ion Beams
A helium ion microscope (HIM) with a focused He<sup>+</sup>-ion beam of variable flux and energy can be used as a tool for local nanoscale surface modification. In this work, we demonstrate a simple but versatile use of the HIM focused He ion beam to fabricate conducting metallic nano- a...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Electronic Materials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3978/5/4/18 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | A helium ion microscope (HIM) with a focused He<sup>+</sup>-ion beam of variable flux and energy can be used as a tool for local nanoscale surface modification. In this work, we demonstrate a simple but versatile use of the HIM focused He ion beam to fabricate conducting metallic nano- and microstructures on arbitrary substrates of varied types and shapes by directly patterning pre-deposited initially discontinuous and highly insulating (>10 TΩ/sq.) ultrathin metal films. Gold or silver films, measuring 3 nm in thickness, thermally evaporated on solid substrates have a discontinuous nanocluster morphology. Such highly resistive films can be made locally conductive using moderate doses (2 × 10<sup>16</sup>–10<sup>17</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>) of low-energy (30 KeV) ion bombardment. We show that an HIM can be used to directly “draw” Au and Ag conductive lines and other patterns with a variable sheet resistance as low as 10 kΩ/sq. without the use of additional precursors. This relatively straightforward, high-definition technique of direct writing with an ion beam, free from complex in vacuo catalytic or precursor chemistries, opens up new opportunities for directly fabricating elements of conformal metallic nanocircuits (interconnects, resistors, and contacts) on arbitrary organic or inorganic substrates, including those with highly curved surfaces. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2673-3978 |