IBM Research demos potential lithography approach
Scientists at IBM Research in Zurich have developed a patterning technique that enables the creation of structures as small as 15nm. The approach is thought to have potential as a replacement for e-beam lithography.
The technique features a 500nm long silicon tip which is just a few nanometres wide at its apex. The tip is attached to a bendable cantilever that scans the surface of the substrate material with the accuracy of 1nm. By applying heat and force, the tip can remove substrate material based on predefined patterns, thus operating like a 'nanomilling' machine.
Material can be removed to create complex 3d structures by modulating the force or by readdressing individual spots. IBM has demonstrated the technique by creating a 3d replica of the Matterhorn measuring 25nm high. In the model, 120 layers of material were removed from a molecular glass substrate.
"Advances in nanotechnology are intimately linked to the existence of high quality methods and tools for producing nanoscale patterns and objects on surfaces," explains physicist Dr Armin Knoll of IBM Research Zurich. "With its broad functionality and 3d patterning capability, this nanotip based patterning methodology is a powerful tool for generating very small structures."
