E. J. Teo

ION BEAM LITHOGRAPHY AND NANOFABRICATION: A REVIEW

To overcome the diffraction constraints of traditional optical lithography, the next generation lithographies (NGLs) will utilize any one or more of EUV (extreme ultraviolet), X-ray, electron or ion beam technologies to produce sub-100 nm features. Perhaps the most under-developed and under-rated is the utilization of ions for lithographic purposes. All three ion beam techniques, FIB (Focused Ion Beam), Proton Beam Writing (p-beam writing) and Ion Projection Lithography (IPL) have now breached the technologically difficult 100 nm barrier, and are now capable of fabricating structures at the nanoscale. FIB, p-beam writing and IPL have the flexibility and potential to become leading contenders as NGLs. The three ion beam techniques have widely different attributes, and as such have their own strengths, niche areas and application areas. The physical principles underlying ion beam interactions with materials are described, together with a comparison with other lithographic techniques (electron beam writing a...

Focusing of MeV ion beams by means of tapered glass capillary optics

We present evidence of the focusing effects of fine glass capillary optics for MeV He ion beams. The glass capillary optics are formed by a puller as to have inlet diameters of about 1 mm and outlet diameters of submicrons. The total length of the optics is about 50 mm. Impingent MeV ions to such optics are reflected by the inner wall several times, in a very similar process to the so-called surface channeling. The majority of incident ions are lost by the dechanneling, or large-angle scattering process, however, a part of them, actually about 1% more or less, is emitted through the outlet without significant energy loss. Compared with the conventional micro-ion beam facilities, the present method is certainly simple and lowcost, thus providing an easy method of submicron Rutherford backscattering spectrometry or particle induced x-ray emission analyses. In addition, if the ion species are extended to heavier elements, the present method provides versatile maskless ion implantation techniques.

Three-dimensional microfabrication in bulk silicon using high-energy protons

We report an alternative technique which utilizes fast-proton irradiation prior to electrochemical etching for three-dimensional microfabrication in bulk p-type silicon. The proton-induced damage increases the resistivity of the irradiated regions and acts as an etch stop for porous silicon formation. A raised structure of the scanned area is left behind after removal of the unirradiated regions with potassium hydroxide. By exposing the silicon to different proton energies, the implanted depth and hence structure height can be precisely varied. We demonstrate the versatility of this three-dimensional patterning process to create multilevel free-standing bridges in bulk silicon, as well as submicron pillars and high aspect-ratio nanotips.

Fabrication of buried channel waveguides in photosensitive glass using proton beam writing

We report our results on the fabrication and characterization of buried, channel optical waveguides in photosensitive Foturan™ glass using a high energy proton beam. Waveguides were fabricated with varying fluence, and the propagation loss and refractive index change were measured. Near-field mode data measured at 632.8nm showed that waveguiding could be achieved for all fluences ranging from 1014to1016protons∕cm2. The maximum positive refractive index change of 1.6×10−3 was measured for the highest fluence. The waveguide propagation losses measured using the scattering technique were estimated to be in the range of 8.3–12.9dB∕cm, increasing with proton fluence.

Proton beam writing: a progress review

A new direct write 3D nano lithographic technique has been developed at the Centre for Ion Beam Applications (CIBA) in the Physics Department of the National University of Singapore. This technique employs a focused MeV proton beam which is scanned in a predetermined pattern over a resist (e.g. PMMA or SU-8), which is subsequently chemically developed. The secondary electrons induced by the primary proton beam have low energy and therefore limited range, resulting in minimal proximity effects. Low proximity effects coupled with the straight trajectory and high penetration of the proton beam enables the production of 3D micro and nano structures with well-defined smooth side walls to be directly written into resist materials. In this review the current status of proton beam writing will be discussed; recent tests have shown this technique capable of writing high aspect ratio walls up to 160 and details down to 30 nm in width with sub-3 nm edge smoothness.

Freestanding waveguides in silicon

Using a direct-write process for the production of three dimensional microstructures on a semiconductor, freestanding waveguides have been realized in silicon. The waveguides are produced by a focused beam of high energy protons that is scanned over a silicon substrate. The latent image of the scan is subsequently developed by electrochemical etching. Herein the authors report on the fabrication method as well as determining the propagation loss of these structures. Propagation loss values of 13.4 and 14.6 dB/cm were obtained for these preliminary structures for transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations, respectively.

Fabrication of low-loss silicon-on-oxidized-porous-silicon strip waveguide using focused proton-beam irradiation

We have successfully fabricated low-loss silicon-on-oxidized-porous-silicon (SOPS) strip waveguides with high-index contrast using focused proton-beam irradiation and electrochemical etching. Smooth surface quality with rms roughness of 3.1 nm is achieved for a fluence of 1x10(15)/cm(2) after postoxidation treatment. Optical characterization at a wavelength of 1550 nm shows a loss of 1.1+/-0.4 dB/cm and 1.2+/-0.4 dB/cm in TE and TM polarization respectively, which we believe is the lowest reported loss for SOPS waveguides. This opens up new opportunities for all-silicon-based optoelectronics applications.

Surface oxygenation studies on (100)-oriented diamond using an atom beam source and local anodic oxidation

Surface oxidation studies on pre-deuterated (1 0 0)-oriented single crystal diamond have been performed by oxidizing the diamond surfaces macroscopically using an oxygen atomic beam source as well as microscopically using local anodic oxidation by atomic force microscope (AFM). Oxygen-deuterium exchange on diamond (1 0 0) was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection and time-of-flight SIMS. Exchange of pre-adsorbed D by atomic O is thermally activated, with almost complete exchange of surface D by atomic O at 300 °C. At higher oxidation temperatures, oxidation states which are chemically shifted from the C 1s bulk peak by 3.2 eV was observed together with a disordering of the diamond surface. Micron-scale, localized oxygenation of the diamond surface at room temperature could be achieved with a biased AFM tip where we confirmed that the modified areas show a lower secondary electron yield and higher oxygen content. In addition, the electronic structure of the oxygenated diamond surface (on-top (OT) and bridging model) has been investigated by calculating the layered-resolved partial density of states using first principles plane wave ab initio pseudopotential method within the local density functional theory. For the oxygen OT model, sharp features due to occupied surface states in the valence band and unoccupied surface states in the gap exist. The increase in emission intensity near the valence band edge for oxygenated diamond (1 0 0) was verified by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy study.

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide deposition using electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition under high microwave power and strong hydrogen dilution

We have investigated the growth of a-Si1−xCx:H using the electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) technique, under the conditions of high microwave power and strong hydrogen (H2) dilution. The microwave power used is 900 W and a gas mixture of CH4 and SiH4 diluted in H2 is varied to give carbon (C) fractions x ranging from 0 to 1. We aim to understand the effects of these deposition conditions on the characteristics of ECR-CVD grown a-Si1−xCx:H films at different x. Their microstructure and optical properties are investigated using infrared absorption, Raman scattering, UV-visible spectrophotometry, and photothermal deflection spectroscopy. Information on the atomic fraction x is obtained with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The B parameter in the Tauc relation is found to decrease and the Urbach energy Eu increase with x, which are indicative of a higher degree of disorder with C incorporation. At intermediate x, the presence of Si–C bonds can be clearly seen from the IR a...

Suspended slab and photonic crystal waveguides in lithium niobate

Suspended waveguides have been widely applied to silicon-on-insulator structures because they are easily fabricated with processing techniques similar to those of integrated circuit design. However, it is difficult to fabricate such structures in lithium niobate, which is also a very important material for optoelectronics. One main challenge is the difficulty of etching lithium niobate. In this work, the authors show a method to fabricate suspended slab waveguides in lithium niobate by combining ion implantation, focused ion beam milling, and selective wet etching techniques. The method does not involve wafer bonding or crystal ion slicing and is entirely monolithic. Lattice damage can be introduced to a buried thin layer of a certain depth beneath the sample surface by ion implantation, resulting in a considerable wet etching selectivity to bulk material. The etching rate has been investigated to control the size of the suspended membrane. Fabrication of suspended photonic crystal waveguides has also bee...