Stiction-free fabrication of lithographic nanostructures on resist-supported nanomechanical resonators

• Published in: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures 2013-09, Vol.31 (5)
• Main Authors: Diao, Zhu, Losby, Joseph E., Burgess, Jacob A. J., Sauer, Vincent T. K., Hiebert, Wayne K., Freeman, Mark R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2166-2746; 1520-8567; 2166-2754
• DOI: 10.1116/1.4821194

The authors report a highly flexible process for nanostructure lithography to incorporate specific functions in micro- and nanomechanical devices. The unique step involves electron beam patterning on top of released, resist-supported, surface micromachined structures, hence avoiding hydrofluoric acid etching of sensitive materials during the device release. The authors demonstrate the process by creating large arrays of nanomechanical torque magnetometers on silicon-on-insulator substrates. The fabricated devices show a thermomechanical noise-limited magnetic moment sensitivity in the range of 5 × 106 μ B at room temperature and can be utilized to study both magnetostatics and dynamics in nanomagnets across a wide temperature range. The fabrication process can be generalized for the deposition and patterning of a wide range of materials on micro-/nanomechanical resonators.