Fabrication of Nanometer Flat Areas Onto YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7--x Thin Film Surfaces by Scanning Tunneling Microscope

A scanning tunneling microscope was used to mechanically "mill" nm flat areas of up to 1600 mu m exp 2 on high temperature superconducting (HTS) films of YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7--x which were originally formed by laser ablation. Flatness to a standard deviation of 2 nm in height was fou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 1991-09, Vol.70 (6), p.3376-3378
Main Authors: Virtanen, J A, Suketu, P, Huth, G C, Cho, Z H
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A scanning tunneling microscope was used to mechanically "mill" nm flat areas of up to 1600 mu m exp 2 on high temperature superconducting (HTS) films of YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7--x which were originally formed by laser ablation. Flatness to a standard deviation of 2 nm in height was found to be characteristic of milled areas. It was subsequently possible to mill trenches and ditches onto these flat areas. Scanning tunneling measurements of the exposed layered structure of the milled HTS surace are also reported. Surface modifications are also possible by the application of voltage pulse to the tunneling tip. The combination of electrical pulses and milling offer a possibility of mixed electromechanical patterning of the film.
ISSN:0021-8979