Cryogenic Electron Beam Induced Chemical Etching

Electron-beam induced nano-etching of suspended graphene

Besides its interesting physical properties, graphene as a two-dimensional lattice of carbon atoms promises to realize devices with exceptional electronic properties, where freely suspended graphene without contact to any substrate is the ultimate, truly two-dimensional system. The practical realization of nano-devices from suspended graphene, however, relies heavily on finding a structuring me...

Etching with Electron Beam Generated Plasmas

Electron flux controlled switching between electron beam induced etching and deposition

Electron beam induced deposition EBID and etching EBIE are promising methods for the fabrication of three-dimensional nanodevices, wiring of nanostructures, and repair of photolithographic masks. Here, we study simultaneous EBID and EBIE, and demonstrate an athermal electron flux controlled transition between material deposition and etching. The switching is observed when one of the processes h...

Effects of electrons on the shape of nanopores prepared by focused electron beam induced etching.

The fabrication of nanometric pores with controlled size is important for applications such as single molecule detection. We have recently suggested the use of focused electron beam induced etching (FEBIE) for the preparation of such nanopores in silicon nitride membranes. The use of a scanning probe microscope as the electron beam source makes this technique comparably accessible, opening the ...

Gas-Mediated Electron Beam Induced Etching – From Fundamental Physics to Device Fabrication

Gas-mediated electron beam induced etching (EBIE) is a nanoscale, direct-write technique analogous to gas-assisted focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The main advantage of EBIE is the elimination of sputtering and ion implantation during processing as well as greater material selectivity [1]. Here we discuss recent developments that expand the scope of EBIE applications in nanofabrication and defe...