Breakthrough in sub-10 nm nanofabrication in silicon - News Briefs - Brief Article

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Jan, 2002

NIST researchers in the atom-based dimensional metrology project made a significant breakthrough in the processing and fabrication of atomically flat and ordered silicon surfaces. The researchers have written features of critical dimensions as small as 10 nm in silicon. This process has now been repeated several times and can be considered a controlled process. This work is focused on developing the means to perform nanometer-scale surface modifications reproducibly and to develop new metrology methods for calibration and characterization on the nanometer scale. These recent developments involved the controlled desorption and breaking of hydrogen surface bonds to create stable structures where complex forms and even words can be written in a space of only 100 nm.

CONTACT: Richard Silver, (301)975-5609; richard.silver@nist.gov.