Advanced lithography for nanofabrication
Nanostructures are defined to be ultrasmall structures and devices with dimensions less than or equal to 100 nm. Conventional methods for making thin film structures involve exposure of a thin layer of a polymer resist on a suitable substrate to define a pattern, which is then developed and used to fabricate the structures either by deposition, or by etching. Resistless methods of patterning, followed by epitaxial growth could significantly simplify nanofabrication by eliminating a number of processing steps associated with the application, exposure, development, and removal of the resist. The molecular size effect with polymer based resists such as PMMA is believed to be a significant factor in limiting the resolution (grain size) in electron beam lithography (EBL) to 10 nm. Surface adsorption layers such as the hydride layer on the Si surface are characterized by relatively strong chemical bonding which produces a highly uniform coverage that terminates at a single monolayer. Because of these properties surface adsorption layers are attractive candidates as ultrathin, ultrahigh resolution resists for electron beam patterning. In this paper, the authors report on results concerning electron beam induced patterning of the surface hydride layer on silicon, using a scanning electron beam lithography (SEBL) system. The dependence of the linewidth on accelerating voltage, electron exposure dose, and sample thickness was explored to determine the mechanisms that govern pattern formation. The results achieved with silicon hydride have general significance and are believed to be applicable to other adsorption layer/substrate combinations. The objective of this research is to artificially generate ultrahigh resolution lateral chemical selectivity on the growing surface which is to be used in subsequent epitaxial growth of nanostructures in a process known as selective area epitaxy (SAE).
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 432949
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970238-1; ON: DE97000770; TRN: AHC29704%%65
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1997 winter topical meeting on chemistry and physics of small-scale structures, Washington, DC (United States), Feb 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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