title: Submicron fabrication by local anodic oxidation of germanium thin films.
abstract: Here we describe a lithography scheme based on the local anodic oxidation of germanium film by a scanning atomic force microscope in a humidity-controlled atmosphere. The oxidation kinetics of the Ge film were investigated by a tapping mode, in which a pulsed bias voltage was synchronized and applied with the resonance frequency of the cantilever, and by a contact mode, in which a continuous voltage was applied. In the tapping mode we clearly identified two regimes of oxidation as a function of the applied voltage: the trench width increased linearly during the vertical growth and increased exponentially during the lateral growth. Both regimes of growth were interpreted taking into consideration the Cabrera-Mott mechanism of oxidation applied to the oxide/Ge interface. We also show the feasibility of the bottom-up fabrication process presented in this work by showing a Cu nanowire fabricated on top of a silicon substrate.
authors: Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, PE, Brazil. abo@df.ufpe.br
authors: A B
authors: AB
authors: Oliveira
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Medeiros-Ribeiro
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Azevedo