Showing papers on "Local oxidation nanolithography published in 2017"

Atomic White-Out: Enabling Atomic Circuitry through Mechanically Induced Bonding of Single Hydrogen Atoms to a Silicon Surface.

Abstract: We report the mechanically induced formation of a silicon–hydrogen covalent bond and its application in engineering nanoelectronic devices. We show that using the tip of a noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM), a single hydrogen atom could be vertically manipulated. When applying a localized electronic excitation, a single hydrogen atom is desorbed from the hydrogen-passivated surface and can be transferred to the tip apex, as evidenced from a unique signature in frequency shift curves. In the absence of tunnel electrons and electric field in the scanning probe microscope junction at 0 V, the hydrogen atom at the tip apex is brought very close to a silicon dangling bond, inducing the mechanical formation of a silicon–hydrogen covalent bond and the passivation of the dangling bond. The functionalized tip was used to characterize silicon dangling bonds on the hydrogen–silicon surface, which was shown to enhance the scanning tunneling microscope contrast, and allowed NC-AFM imaging with atomic and chem...

Effect of the probe location on the absorption by an array of gold nano-particles on a dielectric surface

Abstract: Effect of silicon atomic force microscope probe position and particle spacing on the local absorption of an array of gold nanoparticles placed over a dielectric borosilicate glass surface are evaluated. An improved, vectorized version of discrete dipole approximation coupled with surface interactions is employed throughout the study. It is shown that surface evanescent waves interacting with the system of nanoparticles and atomic force microscope probe result in a near-field coupling between them. This coupling can enhance or reduce the local absorption by the nanoparticles depending on the position of atomic force microscope tip in three-dimensional space and direction of propagation of the surface evanescent wave. The position of the atomic force microscope's tip and spacing that maximize the absorption are identified. This concept can be used for selective heating of nanoparticles placed over a surface that enables precision manufacturing at nanometer scales.