Fabrication of high-density BiFeO3nanodot and anti-nanodot arrays by anodic alumina template-assisted ion beam etching.
Efficient and cost-competitive fabrication of high-quality ferroelectric and multiferroic nanostructures is of general interest. In this work, a top-down nano-patterning technique is developed by the Ar+ion beam etching in combination with the sacrificed ultrathin anodic alumina (AAO) mask. This technique is demonstrated by preparation of the epitaxial BiFeO3(BFO) nanostructures of various geometries, including nanodot and anti-nanodot arrays. The lateral dot size is as small as ∼60 nm and an ultrahigh dot density of ∼60 Gbit/inch2is achieved. It is revealed that the etching process involves sequential shape evolution of both the AAO mask and the underlying BFO film, resulting in the nanodots and anti-nanodots arrays of various geometries. The as-etched BFO nanodots array exhibits well-established ferroelectric domain structures and reversible polarization switching, as examined by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). It is suggested that this technique is extendable to fabrication of a wide range of functional oxide nanostructures for potential nanoelectronic applications.
Institute for Advanced Materials and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People's Republic of China.
Guo
G
Tian
Lina
L
Zhao
Zengxing
Z
Lu
Junxiang
J
Yao
Hua
H
Fan
Zhen
Z
Fan
Zhongwen
Z
Li
Peilian
P
Li
Deyang
D
Chen
Xiaoyan
X
Zhang
Minhui
M
Qin
Min
M
Zeng
Zhang
Z
Zhang
Jiyan
J
Dai
Xingsen
X
Gao
Jun-Ming
JM
Liu