Dynamic Surface Site Activation: A Rate Limiting Process in Electron Beam Induced Etching

We report a new mechanism that limits the rate of electron beam induced etching (EBIE). Typically, the etch rate is assumed to scale directly with the precursor adsorbate dissociation rate. Here, we show that this is a special case, and that the rate can instead be limited by the concentration of ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ACS applied materials & interfaces 2013-08, Vol.5 (16), p.8002-8007
Main Authors: Martin, Aiden A, Phillips, Matthew R, Toth, Milos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Electric Stimulation
Kinetics
Nanoparticles - chemistry
Nanostructures - chemistry
Surface Properties
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Summary:We report a new mechanism that limits the rate of electron beam induced etching (EBIE). Typically, the etch rate is assumed to scale directly with the precursor adsorbate dissociation rate. Here, we show that this is a special case, and that the rate can instead be limited by the concentration of active sites at the surface. Novel etch kinetics are expected if surface sites are activated during EBIE, and observed experimentally using the electron sensitive material ultra nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD). In practice, etch kinetics are of interest because they affect resolution, throughput, proximity effects, and the topography of nanostructures and nanostructured devices fabricated by EBIE.
ISSN:1944-8244
1944-8252
DOI:10.1021/am402083n