Fabrication and characterization of solid-state nanopores using a field emission scanning electron microscope
- Birck Nanotechnology Center and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907 (United States)
The fabrication of solid-state nanopores using the electron beam of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) has been reported in the past. Here, we report a similar method to fabricate solid-state nanopores using the electron source of a conventional field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) instead. Micromachining was used to create initial pore diameters between 50 nm and 200 nm, and controlled pore shrinking to sub 10 nm diameters was performed subsequently during in situ processing in the FESEM. Noticeably, different shrinking behavior was observed when using irradiation from the electron source of the FESEM than the TEM. Unlike previous reports of TEM mediated pore shrinkage, the mechanism of pore shrinkage when using the FESEM could be a result of surface defects generated by radiolysis and subsequent motion of silicon atoms to the pore periphery.
- OSTI ID:
- 20778787
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 88, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2179131; (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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