The objective of this research is develop a nanofabrication instrument capable of producing nanometer scale electromechanical devices and molecular wiring structures without lithography. The instrument utilizes an electron beam evaporator equipped to translate a stencil mask with nanometer precision with respect to a deposition substrate. Differential etching is used to form the nanometer-scale edge-defined features using a subsequent process technique. The minimum feature sizes are directly determined by the nanopositioner's translation between evaporation of dissimilar materials. The instrument development will focus on establishing a high precision instrument. The resolution limiting parameters to be addressed in the development are: (1) nanometer-control of the stencil mask translation in three dimensions, (2) collimation of the evaporated material, (3) temperature control and thermal shielding (4) stage design and vibration control, and (5) incorporation of feedback control in the evaporation process.
The intellectual merit of the proposed activity is in the creation of a wide variety of new nanostructures including high-aspect-ratio, nanometer-sized metal or dielectric lines to enable the characterization of molecules, cantilevers, and nanoelectromechanical devices with feature size and spacing controlled at the nanometer dimension. Structures with this degree of precision are not easily created by electron, ion, or photon lithographic techniques, or nanoimprint. The broader impact of the proposed activity is in the close collaboration of Denton Vacuum, the makers of the instrument, and Notre Dame. Upon completion of the development, Denton Vacuum is prepared to produce the equipment commercially thereby transferring the instrument to the research community.
