Abstract
Direct-write processes enable the alteration or deposition of materials in a continuous, directable, sequential fashion. In this work, we demonstrate an electron beam direct-write process in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. This process has several fundamental differences from conventional electron-beam-induced deposition techniques, where the electron beam dissociates precursor gases into chemically reactive products that bond to a substrate. Here, we use elemental tin (Sn) as a precursor and employ a different mechanism to facilitate deposition. The atomic-sized electron beam is used to generate chemically reactive point defects at desired locations in a graphene substrate. Temperature control of the sample is used to enable the precursor atoms to migrate across the surface and bond to the defect sites, thereby enabling atom-by-atom direct writing.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2339-2346 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Nano Letters |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 22 2023 |
Funding
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Zachary Gosser in the Sn evaporation process. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division (O.D. A.R.L.; S.J.), and was performed at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility.
Keywords
- atomic manipulation
- direct-write
- electron beam
- scanning transmission electron microscope