skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Using an energized oxygen micro-jet for improved graphene etching by focused electron beam

Abstract

We report on an improved Focused Electron Beam Induced Etching (FEBIE) process, which exploits heated oxygen delivery via a continuous supersonic micro-jet resulting in faster graphene patterning and better etch feature definition. Positioning a micro-jet in close proximity to a graphene surface with minimal jet spreading due to a continuous regime of gas flow at the exit of the 10 μm inner diameter capillary allows for focused exposure of the surface to reactive oxygen at high mass flux and impingement energy of a supersonic gas stream localized to a small etching area exposed to electron beam. These unique benefits of focused supersonic oxygen delivery to the surface enable a dramatic increase in the etch rate of graphene with no parasitic carbon “halo” deposition due to secondary electrons from backscattered electrons (BSE) in the area surrounding the etched regions. Increase of jet temperature via local nozzle heating provides means for enhancing kinetic energy of impinging oxygen molecules, which further speed up the etch, thus minimizing the beam exposure time and required electron dose, before parasitic carbon film deposition due to BSE mediated decomposition of adsorbed hydrocarbon contaminants has a measurable impact on quality of graphene etched features. Interplay of different physicalmore » mechanisms underlying an oxygen micro-jet assisted FEBIE process is discussed with support from experimental observations.« less

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22486202
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Applied Physics Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 107; Journal Issue: 23; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; DEPOSITION; DOSES; ELECTRON BEAMS; ETCHING; FILMS; GRAPHENE; HEATING; HYDROCARBONS; IMPINGEMENT; MASS; MOLECULES; NOZZLES; OXYGEN; POSITIONING

Citation Formats

Kim, Songkil, Henry, Mathias, Fedorov, Andrei G., E-mail: agf@gatech.edu, and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332. Using an energized oxygen micro-jet for improved graphene etching by focused electron beam. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4937118.
Kim, Songkil, Henry, Mathias, Fedorov, Andrei G., E-mail: agf@gatech.edu, & Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332. Using an energized oxygen micro-jet for improved graphene etching by focused electron beam. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4937118
Kim, Songkil, Henry, Mathias, Fedorov, Andrei G., E-mail: agf@gatech.edu, and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332. 2015. "Using an energized oxygen micro-jet for improved graphene etching by focused electron beam". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4937118.
@article{osti_22486202,
title = {Using an energized oxygen micro-jet for improved graphene etching by focused electron beam},
author = {Kim, Songkil and Henry, Mathias and Fedorov, Andrei G., E-mail: agf@gatech.edu and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332},
abstractNote = {We report on an improved Focused Electron Beam Induced Etching (FEBIE) process, which exploits heated oxygen delivery via a continuous supersonic micro-jet resulting in faster graphene patterning and better etch feature definition. Positioning a micro-jet in close proximity to a graphene surface with minimal jet spreading due to a continuous regime of gas flow at the exit of the 10 μm inner diameter capillary allows for focused exposure of the surface to reactive oxygen at high mass flux and impingement energy of a supersonic gas stream localized to a small etching area exposed to electron beam. These unique benefits of focused supersonic oxygen delivery to the surface enable a dramatic increase in the etch rate of graphene with no parasitic carbon “halo” deposition due to secondary electrons from backscattered electrons (BSE) in the area surrounding the etched regions. Increase of jet temperature via local nozzle heating provides means for enhancing kinetic energy of impinging oxygen molecules, which further speed up the etch, thus minimizing the beam exposure time and required electron dose, before parasitic carbon film deposition due to BSE mediated decomposition of adsorbed hydrocarbon contaminants has a measurable impact on quality of graphene etched features. Interplay of different physical mechanisms underlying an oxygen micro-jet assisted FEBIE process is discussed with support from experimental observations.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4937118},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22486202}, journal = {Applied Physics Letters},
issn = {0003-6951},
number = 23,
volume = 107,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 07 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Mon Dec 07 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}