Ivo Utke

Bio: Ivo Utke is an academic researcher from Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Electron beam-induced deposition & Thin film. The author has an hindex of 38, co-authored 140 publications receiving 4885 citations. Previous affiliations of Ivo Utke include École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne & Humboldt University of Berlin.

Gas-assisted focused electron beam and ion beam processing and fabrication

Abstract: Beams of electrons and ions are now fairly routinely focused to dimensions in the nanometer range. Since the beams can be used to locally alter material at the point where they are incident on a surface, they represent direct nanofabrication tools. The authors will focus here on direct fabrication rather than lithography, which is indirect in that it uses the intermediary of resist. In the case of both ions and electrons, material addition or removal can be achieved using precursor gases. In addition ions can also alter material by sputtering (milling), by damage, or by implantation. Many material removal and deposition processes employing precursor gases have been developed for numerous practical applications, such as mask repair, circuit restructuring and repair, and sample sectioning. The authors will also discuss structures that are made for research purposes or for demonstration of the processing capabilities. In many cases the minimum dimensions at which these processes can be realized are considerably larger than the beam diameters. The atomic level mechanisms responsible for the precursor gas activation have not been studied in detail in many cases. The authors will review the state of the art and level of understanding of direct ion and electron beam fabrication and point out some of the unsolved problems.

Measurement of the Bending Strength of Vapor-Liquid-Solid Grown Silicon Nanowires

Abstract: The fracture strength of silicon nanowires grown on a [111] silicon substrate by the vapor-liquid-solid process was measured. The nanowires, with diameters between 100 and 200 nm and a typical length of 2 Im, were subjected to bending tests using an atomic force microscopy setup inside a scanning electron microscope. The average strength calculated from the maximum nanowire deflection before fracture was around 12 GPa, which is 6% of the Young’s modulus of silicon along the nanowire direction. This value is close to the theoretical fracture strength, which indicates that surface or volume defects, if present, play only a minor role in fracture initiation. Nanowires (NWs) are of interdisciplinary interest to applications in the fields of biomedical sensing, nano- and optoelectronics and photovoltaics due to their electrical, optical, mechanical, and geometrical properties that may deviate substantially from bulk. 1 To name some particularly exciting applications, the reader is referred to the following list: (i) high-frequency electromechanical resonators, 2 (ii) high-aspect ratio tips for surface probe microscopy, 3 (iii) sensor array for electrical detection of cancer markers, 4 (iv) Si NW arrays for photovoltaics, 5 and (v) nanoscale light-emitting diodes. 6 For all these applications the mechanical stability of the NWs is essential for their atomic scale manipulation, functionalization, or integration into device schemes. Several methods were used in the past to access the mechanical properties of silicon NWs and nanobeams. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used for bending tests of single crystal, micromachined silicon beams (from 1 mm down to 200 nm in width, beam axis oriented in [110] direction). No change in Young’s modulus, but an increase in bending strength by a factor of up to 38 was observed from the millimeter down to the nanometer scale. 7 AFM measurements were also done on silicon NWs (from 10 to 100 nm in diameter, grown along the [111] direction) where a bending modulus of 186 GPa (188 GPa in bulk) was measured. 8

Nanofabrication using focused ion and electron beams : principles and applications

Abstract: Introduction I-1. Historical development of electron beam induced deposition and etching: from carbon to functional materials I. Utke, H. Koops I-2. Historical evolution of FIB technology: from circuit editing to nanoprototyping Ph. Russell. Part I. Fundamentals and Models 1. The theory of bright field electron and field ion emission sources R.Forbes 2. How to select compounds for focused charged particle beam assisted etching and deposition Tristan Bret, Patrik Hoffmann 3. Gas Injection Systems for FEB and FIB Processing: Theory and Experiment Vinzenz Friedli, Heinz D. Wanzenboeck, and Ivo Utke 4. Fundamentals of interactions of electrons with molecules John H. Moore, Petra Swiderek, Stefan Matejcik, Michael Allan 5. Simulation of focused ion beam milling Heung-Bae Kim, Gerhard Hobler 6. FEB and FIB continuum models for one molecule species Ivo Utke 7. Continuum modeling of electron beam induced processes Charlene J. Lobo and Milos Toth 8. Monte Carlo method in EBID process Beam

High-resolution magnetic Co supertips grown by a focused electron beam

Abstract: We present a technique for local growth of high-resolution, high-aspect-ratio magnetic tips and thin adherent magnetic cap coatings on top of batch fabricated scanning force microscopy silicon tips. A focused electron beam of a scanning electron microscope is used for decomposition of a directed cobalt carbonyl vapor flux. Exposure parameters determine the tip geometry and tip length. Deposits consist of cubic Co clusters of 2–5 nm in size dispersed in a stabilizing carbonaceous matrix. Magnetic force microscope sensors having magnetic tip apex diameters between 50 and 240 nm were produced. Tracks of magnetic transitions written in recording media of hard disks were used to characterize tip performance.

Focused electron beam induced deposition of gold

Abstract: Codeposition of hydrocarbons is a severe problem during focused electron beam writing of pure metal nanostructures. When using organometallic precursors, a low metal content carbonaceous matrix embedding and separating numerous nanosized metal clusters is formed. In this work, we present a new and easy approach to obtain high purity gold lines: the use of inorganic PF3AuCl as a precursor. Electrical resistivities as low as 22 μΩ cm at 295 K (ten times the bulk Au value) were obtained. This is to our knowledge the best value for focused electron beam deposition obtained from the vapor phase so far. No special care was taken to prevent hydrocarbon contamination. The deposited nanostructure consists of gold grains varying in size and percolation with beam parameters.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Principles of nano-optics

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical foundations 3. Propagation and focusing of optical fields 4. Spatial resolution and position accuracy 5. Nanoscale optical microscopy 6. Near-field optical probes 7. Probe-sample distance control 8. Light emission and optical interaction in nanoscale environments 9. Quantum emitters 10. Dipole emission near planar interfaces 11. Photonic crystals and resonators 12. Surface plasmons 13. Forces in confined fields 14. Fluctuation-induced phenomena 15. Theoretical methods in nano-optics Appendices Index.

Light passing through subwavelength apertures

Abstract: This review provides a perspective on the recent developments in the transmission of light through subwavelength apertures in metal films. The main focus is on the phenomenon of extraordinary optical transmission in periodic hole arrays, discovered over a decade ago. It is shown that surface electromagnetic modes play a key role in the emergence of the resonant transmission. These modes are also shown to be at the root of both the enhanced transmission and beaming of light found in single apertures surrounded by periodic corrugations. This review describes both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the subject. For clarity, the physical mechanisms operating in the different structures considered are analyzed within a common theoretical framework. Several applications based on the transmission properties of subwavelength apertures are also addressed.

A review on 3D micro-additive manufacturing technologies

Abstract: New microproducts need the utilization of a diversity of materials and have complicated three-dimensional (3D) microstructures with high aspect ratios. To date, many micromanufacturing processes have been developed but specific class of such processes are applicable for fabrication of functional and true 3D microcomponents/assemblies. The aptitude to process a broad range of materials and the ability to fabricate functional and geometrically complicated 3D microstructures provides the additive manufacturing (AM) processes some profits over traditional methods, such as lithography-based or micromachining approaches investigated widely in the past. In this paper, 3D micro-AM processes have been classified into three main groups, including scalable micro-AM systems, 3D direct writing, and hybrid processes, and the key processes have been reviewed comprehensively. Principle and recent progress of each 3D micro-AM process has been described, and the advantages and disadvantages of each process have been presented.

Gas-assisted focused electron beam and ion beam processing and fabrication

Abstract: Beams of electrons and ions are now fairly routinely focused to dimensions in the nanometer range. Since the beams can be used to locally alter material at the point where they are incident on a surface, they represent direct nanofabrication tools. The authors will focus here on direct fabrication rather than lithography, which is indirect in that it uses the intermediary of resist. In the case of both ions and electrons, material addition or removal can be achieved using precursor gases. In addition ions can also alter material by sputtering (milling), by damage, or by implantation. Many material removal and deposition processes employing precursor gases have been developed for numerous practical applications, such as mask repair, circuit restructuring and repair, and sample sectioning. The authors will also discuss structures that are made for research purposes or for demonstration of the processing capabilities. In many cases the minimum dimensions at which these processes can be realized are considerably larger than the beam diameters. The atomic level mechanisms responsible for the precursor gas activation have not been studied in detail in many cases. The authors will review the state of the art and level of understanding of direct ion and electron beam fabrication and point out some of the unsolved problems.