Parallel Fabrication of Sub-50-nm Uniformly Sized Nanoparticles by Deposition through a Patterned Silicon Nitride Nanostencil

• Published in: Nano letters 2005-06, Vol.5 (6), p.1129-1134
• Main Authors: Yan, X.-M, Contreras, A. M, Koebel, M. M, Liddle, J. A, Somorjai, G. A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Electronics; Electrons; Exact sciences and technology; Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology); Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Molecular Conformation; Nanoscale materials: clusters, nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanocrystals; Nanotechnology - methods; Nitrogen - chemistry; Physics; Platinum - chemistry; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Silanes - chemistry; Silicon - chemistry; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; Spectrophotometry, Infrared; Structure of solids and liquids; crystallography
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl0506812

Using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide, we have reduced the size of 56-nm features in a silicon nitride membrane, called a stencil, down to 36 nm. Sub-50-nm uniformly sized nanoparticles are fabricated by electron-beam deposition of Pt through the stencil mask. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of tridecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrooctyl-1-trichlorosilane was used to reduce Pt clogging of the nanosize holes during deposition as well as to protect the stencil during the postdeposition Pt removal. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the SAM protects the stencil efficiently during this postdeposition removal of Pt.