Nanolithography using molecular optics

We explore the possibility of using an intense laser beam to focus a molecular beam onto a surface to create nanowires. We show that with a grazing angle of incidence between the laser and molecular beams, it is possible to use available technology to create wires <50 nm wide and >100 mum long with a 100 W continuous wave laser. Narrower and longer features could be created with higher power lasers. This technique is very general, and may be used to deposit any atom or molecule onto an arbitrary substrate, so long as the particles may be entrained in a molecular beam and have an adequate sticking probability. The effects of spherical and chromatic aberration and laser mode structure on the focusing properties of the molecular lens are examined in detail, and design criteria for building a practical device are discussed. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.