Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T07:32:11.338Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Nanoscale Etching of Metallic Perovskites Using STM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

Ø. Dahl
Affiliation:
Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
S. Hallsteinsen
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
J. K. Grepstad
Affiliation:
Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
A. Borg
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
T. Tybell
Affiliation:
Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Get access

Abstract

In the present work we use a scanning tunneling microscope to modify the surface structure of epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films. Point and line etching experiments were carried out in ultra-highvacuum, using tungsten tips. The point etchings showed that pulses fired at small (< 4.5V) bias voltages did not bring about any physical modifications of the film surface, while voltages in excess of4.5 V led to etched holes accompanied by mounds. Moreover, well-defined line etching was achieved with atypical depth of approximately two unit cells and linewidths as small as 5 nm. The experiments demonstrate that a scanning tunneling microscope can be used for nanometer-scale patterning of SrRuO3 thin film surfaces.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. See for example Kobayashi, A., Grey, F., Williams, R.S., and Aono, M., Science 259, 1724 (1993) ; In-Whan Lyo and P. Avouris, Science 253, 173 (1991).Google Scholar
2. See for example Takagi, H., “Nanolithography on YBa2Cu3O7-d Single Crystals using Scanning TunnelingMicroscopy”, Thesis, University of Geneva (2000); I. Heyvaert, E. Osquiguil, C. Van Haesendonck, and Y. Bruynseraede, Appl. Phys. Lett. 61, 111 (1992) ; Y.C. Fan, A.G. Fitzgerald, and J.A. Cairns, J.Vac. Sci. Technol. B 18, 2377 (2000).Google Scholar
3. Matsumoto, K., Ishii, M., Segawa, K., Oka, Y., Vartanian, B. J., and Harris, J. S., Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 34 (1996).Google Scholar
4. Ahn, C. H., Triscone, J.-M., and Mannhart, J., Nature 424, 1015 (2003).Google Scholar
5. Bensch, Wolfgang, Schmalle, Helmut W., and Reller, Armin, Solid State Ionics 43, 171 (1990).Google Scholar
6. Kawasaki, Masashi, Takahashi, Kazuhiro, Maeda, Tatsuro, Tsuchiya, Ryuta, Shinohara, Makoto, Ishiyama, Osamu, Yonezawa, Takuzo, Yoshimoto, Mamoru, and Koinuma, Hideomi, Science 266, 1540 (1994) ; Gertjan Koster, Boike L. Kropman, Guus J. H. M. Rijnders, Dave H. A. Blank and Horst Rogalla, Appl. Phys. Lett. 73, 2920 (1998).Google Scholar
7. Bertsche, G., Clauss, W., Prins, F. E., and Kern, D. P., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 16, 2833 (1998).Google Scholar