Field-directed sputter sharpening for tailored probe materials and atomic-scale lithography

S.W. Schmucker (), N. Kumar, J.R. Abelson, S.R. Daly, G.S. Girolami, M.R. Bischof, D.L. Jaeger, R.F. Reidy, B.P. Gorman, J. Alexander, J.B. Ballard, J.N. Randall and J.W. Lyding
Additional contact information
S.W. Schmucker: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
N. Kumar: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J.R. Abelson: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
S.R. Daly: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
G.S. Girolami: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.R. Bischof: University of North Texas
D.L. Jaeger: University of North Texas
R.F. Reidy: University of North Texas
B.P. Gorman: Colorado School of Mines
J. Alexander: Zyvex Labs LLC
J.B. Ballard: Zyvex Labs LLC
J.N. Randall: Zyvex Labs LLC
J.W. Lyding: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Fabrication of ultrasharp probes is of interest for many applications, including scanning probe microscopy and electron-stimulated patterning of surfaces. These techniques require reproducible ultrasharp metallic tips, yet the efficient and reproducible fabrication of these consumable items has remained an elusive goal. Here we describe a novel biased-probe field-directed sputter sharpening technique applicable to conductive materials, which produces nanometer and sub-nanometer sharp W, Pt-Ir and W-HfB2 tips able to perform atomic-scale lithography on Si. Compared with traditional probes fabricated by etching or conventional sputter erosion, field-directed sputter sharpened probes have smaller radii and produce lithographic patterns 18–26% sharper with atomic-scale lithographic fidelity.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1907

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