Abstract
A new method for directed self-assembly using focused ion beam (FIB) and physical vapor deposition is presented. The high resolution and site-specific patterning capabilities of FIB are coupled with the self-assembly process in heteroepitaxial thin film growth. An efficient FIB-induced damage mechanism is exploited to pattern amorphous regions in sapphire substrates which direct the subsequent assembly of a sputter-deposited zinc oxide film. This novel approach allows for the fabrication of in-plane nano- to microscale heterostructures comprising epitaxial regions with high strain and defect density that are separated by regions of randomly oriented (in-plane) grains with much lower strain and defect density.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 010605 |
| Journal | Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B:Nanotechnology and Microelectronics |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2012 |
Funding
The FIB, SEM, TEM and AFM work was performed in the EPIC and NIFTI facilities of NUANCE Center at Northwestern University. NUANCE Center is supported by NSF-NSEC, NSF-MRSEC, Keck Foundation, the State of Illinois, and Northwestern University. The authors thank Shuyou Li for help with TEM. The deposition work was supported by the MRSEC program of the National Science Foundation (Grant No. DMR-0520513) at the Materials Research Center of Northwestern University. The x-ray analysis made use of the J. B. Cohen X-ray Diffraction Facility at Northwestern University.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Instrumentation
- Process Chemistry and Technology
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Materials Chemistry