Conventional Electron Beam Lithography Research Articles

Flexible Nanoscale Amorphous Oxide Transistors with a Gold-Assisted Transfer Method.

We present a new approach to achieve nanoscale transistors on ultrathin flexible substrates with conventional electron-beam lithography. Full devices are first fabricated on a gold sacrificial layer covering a rigid silicon substrate, and then coated with a polyimide film and released from the rigid substrate. This approach bypasses nanofabrication constraints on flexible substrates: (i) electron-beam surface charging, (ii) alignment inaccuracy due to the wavy substrate, and (iii) restricted thermal budgets. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate ∼100 nm long indium tin oxide (ITO) transistors on ∼6 μm thin polyimide. This is achieved with sub-20 nm misalignment or overlap between source (or drain) and gate contacts on flexible substrates for the first time. The estimated transit frequency of our well-aligned devices can be up to 3.3 GHz, which can be further improved by optimizing the device structure and performance.

Development of electron beam lithography technique for large area nano structural color

Plasmonic color is a structural color generated via preferential light absorption and scattering in dielectric nanostructures. In this study, a large plasmonic color image was successfully fabricated by an electron beam lithography (EBL) system. A software program, referred to as P-color in this study, was developed to facilitate the conversion of a desired color bitmap image to a GDS file composed of multiple nano-patterns to realize plasmonic color. The relationship between the color, width, and pitch of the pattern structures was investigated under different area-dose conditions during EBL as basic data for plasmonic color image design. After establishing conversion techniques for both the large-capacity GDS and EBL files, a plasmonic color image sample with a size of 60 mm × 40 mm area (which is difficult to fabricate using a conventional point-type EBL system) was successfully fabricated.

Spin-filter device using the Zeeman effect with realistic channel and structure parameters

We have theoretically calculated the performance of a Zeeman-type spin polarizer, which consists of ferromagnetic (FM) and metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) gate nanostructures on top of an InAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) channel. For the calculations, we have taken a realistic electron concentration, electron effective mass and the effective g-factor of the InAs 2DEG into account. In addition, we have assumed realistic FM and MIS structure sizes by conventional electron beam lithography. In the calculations, we have demonstrated clear oscillation of spin polarization over ±85%. Furthermore, we have shown that it works not only as a spin-polarized current generator but also a detector. In addition, we have proposed a novel spin-filter device utilizing the Zeeman-type spin polarizers. We have found that its conductance characterization allows us to evaluate the operation of Zeeman-type spin polarizers. We expect the Zeeman-type spin polarizers and spin-filter devices to open up a new field of spintronics.

A study of structural effect on the spectral property of metallic cross-hole array in mid-infrared wavelengths

Based on the earlier success in developing multichannel detection in long (8–14 μm) infrared wavelengths, this paper reports our recent progress for spectral filters in the mid-infrared band of 4–10 μm by introducing a new design with metallic cross annular hole array. The effects of structural dimensions on filtering performance were investigated by numerical simulations with the finite-difference time-domain method and experimentally verified by optical characterizations of fabricated filters made by electron beam lithography. The transmission peaks were optimized with the maximum transmittance of 62%. The existing problem of low spectral resolution of transmittances was tackled by using a thick Au film for the filter, which remains a big challenge for conventional electron beam lithography. By modeling ice lithography in amorphous solid water for constructing the filter, it was found that ice lithography certainly possesses significant advantage in replicating nanoscale features with high aspect ratio. The proposed ice lithography in this work provides an effective solution for the nanofabrication of high performance filters with dense elements in an array in the mid-infrared wavelengths.

Fabrication of a large scale metasurface with high resolution and enhanced absorption

Plasmonic metasurface nanostructures have the potential to enable nonlinear optical functionality in metasurfaces by reducing power operating thresholds and enabling ultra-thin subwavelength devices. However, low absorption caused by resistive losses of unwanted metallic appearance and irregular corners in the fabrication process significantly reduces this promise, leading the metasurface community toward the new approaches to fabricate large area metasurfaces with Electron Beam lithography (EBL). In this article, with controlled proximity effect and high dose exposure rate in EBL setup, large area (2 cm2) metasurfaces are fabricated with high resolution of structure. The effect of absorption resonance in Infrared (LWIR) is experimentally studied through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results signify that the metasurface with high resolution and fine metallic corners outperforms the fabricated prototype with metal residue and non-uniform corners. When compared to conventional EBL, our nanofabrication approach speeds the patterning time by three times. The experimental measurements reveal enhanced absorption performance at 8 µm wavelength. Whereas, the developed metasurface is numerically studied to explain the absorption performance with plasmonic field distributions. This approach could be used in optoelectronic devices involving plasmonic applications, such as biosensing and infrared imaging.

Polarization insensitive, metamaterial absorber-enhanced long-wave infrared detector.

Detecting low energy photons, such as photons in the long-wave infrared range, is a technically challenging proposition using naturally occurring materials. In order to address this challenge, we herein demonstrate a micro-bolometer featuring an integrated metamaterial absorber (MA), which takes advantage of the resonant absorption and frequency selective properties of the MA. Importantly, our micro-bolometer exhibits polarization insensitivity and high absorption due to a novel metal-insulator-metal (MIM) absorber design, operating at 8-12 µm wavelength. The metamaterial structures we report herein feature an interconnected design, optimized towards their application to micro-bolometer-based, long-wave infrared detection. The micro-bolometers were fabricated using a combination of conventional photolithography and electron beam lithography (EBL), the latter owing to the small feature sizes within the design. The absorption response was designed using the coupled mode theory (CMT) and the finite integration technique, with the fabricated devices characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The metamaterial-based micro-bolometer exhibits a responsivity of approximately 198 V/W over the 8-12 µm wavelength regime, detectivity of ∼ 0.6 × 109 Jones, thermal response time of ∼ 3.3 ms, and a noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) of ∼33 mK under 1mA biasing current at room-temperature and atmosphere pressure. The ultimate detectivity and NETD are limited by Johnson noise and heat loss with thermal convection through air; however, further optimization could be achieved by reducing the thermal conductivity via vacuum packaging. Under vacuum conditions, the detectivity may be increased in excess of two-fold, to ∼ 1.5 × 109 Jones. Finally, an infrared image of a soldering iron was generated using a single-pixel imaging process, serving as proof-of-concept of this detection platform. The results presented in this work pave the road towards high-efficiency and frequency-selective detection in the long-wave infrared range through the integration of infrared MAs with micro-bolometers.

High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Sculpting of Two-Dimensional Graphene Oxide by E-Beam Direct Write.

On-demand switchable "additive/subtractive" patterning of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials is an essential capability for developing new concepts of functional nanomaterials and their device realizations. Traditionally, this is performed via a multistep process using photoresist coating and patterning by conventional photo or electron beam lithography, which is followed by bulk dry/wet etching or deposition. This limits the range of functionalities and structural topologies that can be achieved as well as increases the complexity, cost, and possibility of contamination, which are significant barriers to device fabrication from highly sensitive 2D materials. Focused electron beam-induced processing (FEBIP) enables a material chemistry/site-specific, high-resolution multimode atomic scale processing and provides unprecedented opportunities for "direct-write", single-step surface patterning of 2D nanomaterials with an in situ imaging capability. It allows for realizing a rapid multiscale/multimode approach, ranging from an atomic scale manipulation (e.g., via targeted defect introduction as an active site) to a large-area surface modification on nano- and microscales, including patterned doping and material removal/deposition with 2D (in-plane)/three-dimensional (3D) (out-of-plane) control. In this work, we report on a new capability of FEBIP for nanoscale patterning of graphene oxide via removal of oxygenated carbon moieties with no use of reactive gas required for etching complemented by carbon atom deposition using a focused electron beam. The mechanism of experimentally observed phenomena is explored using the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, revealing that interactions of e-beam that liberated reactive oxygen radicals with carbon atoms on the graphene basal plane lead to the creation of atomic vacancies in the material. The reaction byproducts are volatile carbon dioxides, which are dissociated and volatilized from the graphene oxide surface functional groups by interactions with an energetic focused electron beam. Along with selective subtractive patterning of graphene oxide, the same electron beam with increased irradiation doses can deposit out-of-plane 3D carbon nanostructures on top of or around the 2D etched pattern, thus forming a hybrid 2D/3D nanocomposite with a feature control down to a few nanometers. This in operando dual nanofabrication capability of FEBIP is unmatched by any other nanopatterning techniques and opens a new design window for forming 2D/3D complex nanostructures and functional nanodevices.

Electron-Beam Patterning of Vapor-Deposited Solid Anisole.

The emerging ice lithography (IL) nanofabrication technology differs from conventional electron-beam lithography by working at cryogenic temperatures and using vapor-deposited organic molecules, such as solid water and alkanes, as e-beam resists. In this paper, we systematically investigate e-beam patterning of frozen anisole and assess its performance as an e-beam resist in IL. Dose curves reveal that anisole has a very low contrast of ∼1, with a very weak dependence on primary beam energy in the investigated range of 5-20 keV. The minimum line width of 60 nm is attainable at 20 keV, limited by stage vibration in our apparatus. Notably, various solid states of anisole have been observed and we can control the deposited anisole from crystalline to amorphous state by decreasing the deposition temperature. The critical temperature for forming an amorphous film is 130 K in the vacuum of a microscope chamber. Smooth patterns with a surface roughness of ∼0.7 nm are achieved in the as-deposited amorphous solid anisole. As a proof of principle of 3D fabrication, we finally fabricate nanoscale patterns on exotic silicon micropillars with a high aspect ratio using this resist.

O2 plasma treated biosensor for enhancing detection sensitivity of sulfadiazine in a high-к HfO2 coated silicon nanowire array

In this paper, highly uniform silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays (∼30 nm in diameter) used as FET biosensors are fabricated by using a CMOS-compatible spacer image transfer (SIT) technology with high efficiency compared with conventional electron beam (E-beam) lithography. An effective biochemical sensing approach that treated with optimization of O2 plasma on the SiNW biosensors coated with a 10 nm HfO2 high dielectric constant (high-к) film is demonstrated to enhance immobilization of antibodies. Furthermore, water contact angle (WCA) measurements verify that the increased number of hydroxyl groups (OH) on the HfO2 surfaces treated with O2 plasma reaches or surpasses that on a conventional SiO2 surface. Therefore, it is observed that the IDS/I0 is enlarged by 3.15 times compared with that of the HfO2 surface without O2 plasma treatment. In addition, real-time and label-free detection of sulfadiazine with high sensitivity and specific recognition is successfully achieved using the SiNW FET biosensor with the optimized process. And a 10 pg⋅mL−1 limit of detection (LOD) is achieved for the SiNW FET biosensor using O2 plasma treatment on an ultrathin HfO2 mentioned above. The proposed O2 plasma treatment on HfO2 provides an effective solution for future FET biosensors coated with high-к dielectrics.

Next generation of extreme-resolution electron beam lithography

In top down nanofabrication research facilities around the world, the direct-write high-resolution patterning tool of choice is overwhelmingly electron beam lithography. Remarkably small features can be written in a variety of polymeric resists [V. R. Manfrinato et al., Nano Lett. 14, 4406 (2014); V. R. Manfrinato, A. Stein, L. Zhang, Y. Nam, K. G. Yager, E. A. Stach, and C. T. Black, Nano Lett. 17, 4562 (2017)]. However, this technology, which in this article the authors will refer to as conventional electron beam lithography (CEBL), is reaching its practical resolution and precision limits [V. R. Manfrinato et al., Nano Lett. 14, 4406 (2014)]. Hydrogen depassivation lithography (HDL) [J. N. Randall, J. W. Lyding, S. Schmucker, J. R. Von Ehr, J. Ballard, R. Saini, and Y. Ding, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 27, 2764 (2009); J. N. Randall, J. B. Ballard, J. W. Lyding, S. Schmucker, J. R. Von Ehr, R. Saini, H. Xu, and Y. Ding, Microelectron. Eng. 87, 955 (2010)] is a different version of electron beam lithography that is not limited in resolution and precision in the way that CEBL is. It uses a cold field emitter, a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip, to deliver a small spot of electrons on a Si (100) 2 × 1 H-passivated surface to expose a self-developing resist that is a monolayer of H adsorbed to the Si surface. Subnanometer features [S. Chen, H. Xu, K. E. J. Goh, L. Liu, and J. N. Randall, Nanotechnology 23, 275301 (2012)], and even the removal of single H atoms can be routinely accomplished [M. A. Walsh and M. C. Hersam, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 60, 193 (2009)]. It is known that the H desorption process at low biases is a multielectron process [E. Foley, A. Kam, J. Lyding, and P. Avouris, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 1336 (1998)], but the tunneling distribution of the electrons from the STM tip to the Si surface lattice is not known. The authors have developed a simple model that demonstrates that the combination of two highly nonlinear processes creates a much higher contrast exposure mechanism than CEBL. Currently, HDL has been used almost exclusively on the Si (100) surface and has a limited number of pattern transfer techniques including Si and Ge patterned epitaxy, selective atomic layer deposition of TiO2 followed by reactive ion etching [J. B. Ballard, T. W. Sisson, J. H. G. Owen, W. R. Owen, E. Fuchs, J. Alexander, J. N. Randall, and J. R. Von Ehr, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 31, 06FC01 (2013)], and selective deposition of dopant atoms for quantum devices and materials [Workshop on 2D Quantum MetaMaterials held at NIST, Gaithersburg, MD, April 25–26, 2018, edited by J. Owen and W. P. Kirk]. While the throughput of HDL is very low, going parallel in a big way appears promising [J. N. Randall, J. H. G. Owen, J. Lake, R. Saini, E. Fuchs, M. Mahdavi, S. O. R. Moheimani, and B. C. Schaefer, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 36, 6 (2018)]. However, the most exciting aspect of HDL is its atomic-scale resolution and precision, which is key to nanoscale research. The authors see HDL emerging as the ultimate high-resolution patterning tool in top down nanofabrication research facilities.

Self‐Assembly of Atomically Thin Chiral Copper Heterostructures Templated by Black Phosphorus

AbstractThe fabrication of 2D systems for electronic devices is not straightforward, with top‐down low‐yield methods often employed leading to irregular nanostructures and lower quality devices. Here, a simple and reproducible method to trigger self‐assembly of arrays of high aspect‐ratio chiral copper heterostructures templated by the structural anisotropy in black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets is presented. Using quantitative atomic resolution aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging, in situ heating transmission electron microscopy and electron energy‐loss spectroscopy arrays of heterostructures forming at speeds exceeding 100 nm s−1 and displaying long‐range order over micrometers are observed. The controlled instigation of the self‐assembly of the Cu heterostructures embedded in BP is achieved using conventional electron beam lithography combined with site specific placement of Cu nanoparticles. Density functional theory calculations are used to investigate the atomic structure and suggest a metallic nature of the Cu heterostructures grown in BP. The findings of this new hybrid material with unique dimensionality, chirality, and metallic nature and its triggered self‐assembly open new and exciting opportunities for next generation, self‐assembling devices.

Fabrication method of two-photon luminescent organic nano-architectures using electron-beam irradiation

Optical recording on organic thin films with a high spatial resolution is promising for high-density optical memories, optical computing, and security systems. The spatial resolution of the optical recording is limited by the diffraction of light. Electrons can be focused to a nanometer-sized spot, providing the potential for achieving better resolution. In conventional electron-beam lithography, however, optical tuning of the fabricated structures is limited mostly to metals and semiconductors rather than organic materials. In this article, we report a fabrication method of luminescent organic architectures using a focused electron beam. We optimized the fabrication conditions of the electron beam to generate chemical species showing visible photoluminescence via two-photon near-infrared excitations. We utilized this fabrication method to draw nanoscale optical architectures on a polystyrene thin film.

The Stability of Exfolicated FeSe Nanosheets During in-air Device Fabrication Processes

We studied the stability and superconductivity of FeSe nanosheets during an in-air device fabrication process. Methods were developed to improve the exfoliation yield and to maintain the superconductivity of FeSe. Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and time-of-flight-secondary-ion-mass-spectroscopy measurements show that FeSe nanosheets decayed in air. Precipitation of Se particles and iron oxidation likely occurred during the decay process. Transport measurements revealed that the superconductivity of FeSe disappeared during a conventional electron beam lithography process. Shadow mask evaporation and transfer onto pre-defined electrodes methods were shown to be effective in maintaining the superconductivity after the in-air device fabrication process. These methods developed provide a way of making high quality FeSe nano-devices.

Controlling and modelling the wetting properties of III-V semiconductor surfaces using re-entrant nanostructures

Inorganic semiconductors such as III-V materials are very important in our everyday life as they are used for manufacturing optoelectronic and microelectronic components with important applications span from energy harvesting to telecommunications. In some applications, these components are required to operate in harsh environments. In these cases, having waterproofing capability is essential. Here we demonstrate design and control of the wettability of indium phosphide based multilayer material (InP/InGaAs/InP) using re-entrant structures fabricated by a fast electron beam lithography technique. This patterning technique enabled us to fabricate highly uniform nanostructure arrays with at least one order of magnitude shorter patterning times compared to conventional electron beam lithography methods. We reduced the surface contact fraction significantly such that the water droplets may be completely removed from our nanostructured surface. We predicted the wettability of our patterned surface by modelling the adhesion energies between the water droplet and both the patterned surface and the dispensing needle. This is very useful for the development of coating-free waterproof optoelectronic and microelectronic components where the coating may hinder the performance of such devices and cause problems with semiconductor fabrication compatibility.

Exploiting atomic layer deposition for fabricating sub-10 nm X-ray lenses

Moving towards significantly smaller nanostructures, direct structuring techniques such as electron beam lithography approach fundamental limitations in feature size and aspect ratios. Application of nanostructures like diffractive X-ray lenses requires feature sizes of below 10nm to enter a new regime in high resolution X-ray microscopy. As such dimensions are difficult to obtain using conventional electron beam lithography, we pursue a line-doubling approach. We demonstrate that this method yields structure sizes as small as 6.4nm. X-ray lenses fabricated in this way are tested for their efficiency and microscopic resolution. In addition, the line-doubling technique is successfully extended to a six-fold scheme, where each line in a template structure written by electron beam lithography evolves into six metal lines.

Combination photo and electron beam lithography with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resist

We describe techniques for performing photolithography and electron beam lithography in succession on the same resist-covered substrate. Larger openings are defined in the resist film through photolithography whereas smaller openings are defined through conventional electron beam lithography. The two processes are carried out one after the other and without an intermediate wet development step. At the conclusion of the two exposures, the resist film is developed once to reveal both large and small openings. Interestingly, these techniques are applicable to both positive and negative tone lithographies with both optical and electron beam exposure. Polymethyl methacrylate, by itself or mixed with a photocatalytic cross-linking agent, is used for this purpose. We demonstrate that such resists are sensitive to both ultraviolet and electron beam irradiation. All four possible combinations, consisting of optical and electron beam lithographies, carried out in positive and negative tone modes have been described. Demonstration grating structures have been shown and process conditions have been described for all four cases.

Local electric field direct writing – Electron-beam lithography and mechanism

Local electric field induced by a focused electron probe in silicate glass thin films is evaluated by the migration of cations. Extremely strong local electric fields can be obtained by the focused electron probe from a scanning transmission electron microscope. As a result, collective atomic displacements occur. This newly revised mechanism provides an efficient tool to write patterned nanostructures directly, and thus overcome the low efficiency of the conventional electron-beam lithography. Applying this technique to silicate glass thin films, as an example, a grid of rods of nanometer dimension can be efficiently produced by rapidly scanning a focused electron probe. This nanopatterning is achieved through swift phase separation in the sample, without any post-development processes. The controlled phase separation is induced by massive displacements of cations (glass modifiers) within the glass-former network, driven by the strong local electric fields. The electric field is induced by accumulated charge within the electron probed region, which is generated by the excitation of atomic electrons by the incident electron. Throughput is much improved compared to other scanning probe techniques. The half-pitch spatial resolution of nanostructure in this particular specimen is 2.5nm.

Electron beam lithography using fixed beam moving stage

Large area patterns with small submicron features are difficult to write using conventional electron beam lithography (EBL) methods. This would be more challenging especially if the patterns have large lateral aspect ratios such as waveguide tapers. Conventionally, the patterning area is divided into smaller write fields and the stage moves in between various write fields. Precise stage movement is necessary to reduce stitching errors. However, even the most accurate laser interferometer based control systems are prone to stochastic thermal drifts. In this paper, new methods of EBL patterning are explored using the stitch free method of writing and overcoming the conventional time constraints for writing large area patterns. Further, the methods presented are suited for writing structures with micron and nanosized features in the same pattern.

In-Plane Plasmonic Antenna Arrays with Surface Nanogaps for Giant Fluorescence Enhancement.

Optical nanoantennas have a great potential for enhancing light-matter interactions at the nanometer scale, yet fabrication accuracy and lack of scalability currently limit ultimate antenna performance and applications. In most designs, the region of maximum field localization and enhancement (i.e., hotspot) is not readily accessible to the sample because it is buried into the nanostructure. Moreover, current large-scale fabrication techniques lack reproducible geometrical control below 20 nm. Here, we describe a new nanofabrication technique that applies planarization, etch back, and template stripping to expose the excitation hotspot at the surface, providing a major improvement over conventional electron beam lithography methods. We present large flat surface arrays of in-plane nanoantennas, featuring gaps as small as 10 nm with sharp edges, excellent reproducibility and full surface accessibility of the hotspot confined region. The novel fabrication approach drastically improves the optical performance of plasmonic nanoantennas to yield giant fluorescence enhancement factors up to 104-105 times, together with nanoscale detection volumes in the 20 zL range. The method is fully scalable and adaptable to a wide range of antenna designs. We foresee broad applications by the use of these in-plane antenna geometries ranging from large-scale ultrasensitive sensor chips to microfluidics and live cell membrane investigations.

Nanoscale-Barrier Formation Induced by Low-Dose Electron-Beam Exposure in Ultrathin MoS2 Transistors

Utilizing an innovative combination of scanning-probe and spectroscopic techniques, supported by first-principles calculations, we demonstrate how electron-beam exposure of field-effect transistors, implemented from ultrathin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), may cause nanoscale structural modifications that in turn significantly modify the electrical operation of these devices. Quite surprisingly, these modifications are induced by even the relatively low electron doses used in conventional electron-beam lithography, which are found to induce compressive strain in the atomically thin MoS2. Likely arising from sulfur-vacancy formation in the exposed regions, the strain gives rise to a local widening of the MoS2 bandgap, an idea that is supported both by our experiment and by the results of first-principles calculations. A nanoscale potential barrier develops at the boundary between exposed and unexposed regions and may cause extrinsic variations in the resulting electrical characteristics exhibited by the transistor. The widespread use of electron-beam lithography in nanofabrication implies that the presence of such strain must be carefully considered when seeking to harness the potential of atomically thin transistors. At the same time, this work also promises the possibility of exploiting the strain as a means to achieve "bandstructure engineering" in such devices.