Metal delocalization and surface decoration in direct-write nanolithography by electron beam induced deposition

The ability to interconnect different nanostructures is crucial to nanocircuit fabrication efforts. A simple and versatile direct-write nanolithography technique for the fabrication of interconnects is presented. Decomposition of a metalorganic precursor gas by a focused electron beam resulted in the deposition of conductive platinum nanowires. The combination of in situ secondary electron imaging with deposition allows for the simultaneous identification and interconnection of nanoscale components. However, the deposition was not entirely localized to the electron beam raster area, as shown by secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements. The electrical impact of the metallic spread was quantified by measuring the leakage current between closely spaced wires. The origins of the spread and strategies for minimizing it are discussed. These results indicate that, while this direct-write methodology is a convenient one for rapid prototyping of nanocircuits, caution must be used to avoid unwanted decoration of nanostructures by metallic species. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.