title: A mild etch for the fabrication of three-dimensional nanostructures in gold.
abstract: A novel mild etch is reported for the fabrication of three-dimensional structures in gold films when used in conjunction with an alkylthiol resist. This etch consists of a solution of mercaptoethylamine in ethanol to which a small amount of ammonium hydroxide has been added. Using mask-based photolithography, micron-scale features have been created that exhibit good edge definition. For long-chain thiols, there is little tendency for the regions protected by thiols to be eroded on extended exposure to the etch solution. In conjunction with scanning near-field photolithography, the new etch solution enables the fabrication of nanoscale structures with dimensions significantly smaller than the conventional diffraction limit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ducker
authors.forename: Graham J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Leggett