Passivation of ultrathin metallic films for EELS studies

Recent work has drawn attention to the possibilities that small angle electron scattering offers as a source of information about the micro-structure of vacuum condensed films. In particular, this serves as a good detector of discontinuities within the films. A review of a kinematical theory describing the small angle scattering from a thin film composed of discrete particles packed close together will be presented. Such a model could be represented by a set of cylinders packed side by side in a two dimensional fluid-like array, the axis of the cylinders being normal to the film and the length of the cylinders becoming the thickness of the film. The Fourier transform of such an array can be regarded as a ring structure around the central beam in the plane of the film with the usual thickness transform in a direction normal to the film. The intensity profile across the ring structure is related to the radial distribution function of the spacing between cylinders.

Download Full-text

Search for quantum size effects in ultrathin epitaxial metallic films

Annales de Physique ◽

10.1051/anphys:01991001606062300 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 623-638 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P.A. Badoz ◽

F. Arnaud d'Avitaya ◽

E. Rosencher

Keyword(s):

Size Effects ◽

Quantum Size Effects ◽

Metallic Films ◽

Quantum Size

Download Full-text

Metal-Assisted Plasma Etching of Silicon: A Liquid-Free Alternative to MACE

10.26434/chemrxiv.6128237 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Julia Sun ◽

Benjamin Almquist

Keyword(s):

Liquid Phase ◽

Plasma Etching ◽

Chemical Etching ◽

Gold Films ◽

Metallic Films ◽

Au Catalyst ◽

Feed Concentration ◽

Catalytic Activities ◽

Metal Assisted Chemical Etching ◽

Complex Nanostructures

For decades, fabrication of semiconductor devices has utilized well-established etching techniques to create complex nanostructures in silicon. Of these, two of the most common are reactive ion etching in the gaseous phase and metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) in the liquid phase. Though these two methods are highly established and characterized, there is a surprising scarcity of reports exploring the ability of metallic films to catalytically enhance the etching of silicon in dry plasmas via a MACE-like mechanism. Here, we discuss a metal-assisted plasma etch (MAPE) performed using patterned gold films to catalyze the etching of silicon in an SF6/O2 mixed plasma, selectively increasing the rate of etching by over 1000%. The degree of enhancement as a function of Au catalyst configuration and relative oxygen feed concentration is characterized, along with the catalytic activities of other common MACE metals including Ag, Pt, and Cu. Finally, methods of controlling the etch process are briefly explored to demonstrate the potential for use as a liquid-free fabrication strategy.

Download Full-text