Generation of charged liquid cluster beam of liquid-mix precursors and application to nanostructured materials

Abstract

A novel technique for generating a charged liquid cluster beam (CLCB) of liquid-mix precursors has been developed by using flow-limited electrostatic spraying facilitated by field-injection charging. The technique is inherently capable of generating charged nanodrops of controlled size, chemical composition, and stoichiometry, which are very susceptible to heat treatment and pyrolysis. It is, therefore, possible to convert a CLCB spray into solid nanoparticles by exposing it to a heated carrier gas. Deposition of high-quality thin films or nanocrystallites on a substrate is also possible by directing the CLCB spray onto a heated substrate. Since all of the nanodrops in the CLCB spray are charged, an electromagnetic lens can be employed to conveniently control their trajectories for direct writing of micropatterns. This paper briefly describes the physical processes underlying the CLCB technique, the apparatus, and the preliminary results illustrating the application potential of the CLCB technique.