title: Nanometer patterning with ice.
abstract: Nanostructures can be patterned with focused electron or ion beams in thin, stable, conformal films of water ice grown on silicon. We use these patterns to reliably fabricate sub-20 nm wide metal lines and exceptionally well-defined, sub-10 nanometer beam-induced chemical surface transformations. We argue more generally that solid-phase condensed gases of low sublimation energy are ideal materials for nanoscale patterning, and water, quite remarkably, may be among the most useful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. gking@jilau1.colorado.edu
authors.forename: Gavin M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schürmann
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Branton
authors.forename: Jene A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Golovchenko
mesh_terms: D002857:Chromium / Q000737:chemistry; D004583:Electrons; D007053:Ice; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D007053:Ice; D014867:Water; D002857:Chromium; D012825:Silicon