Sharp edged silicon structures generated using atom lithography with metastable helium atoms

By combining atom lithography and plasma etching technology in a two-step process, we demonstrate the transfer of sharp edged structures into silicon with a depth of 580 nm and an inclination of better than 86° A self-assembled monolayer resist deposited on a Au-coated Si surface is damaged by a beam of metastable helium atoms through a physical mask. A wet etching process removes Au in the damaged regions, resulting in an intermediate mask of patterned Au on Si. Low-pressure plasma etching is then used to transfer the pattern of the Au mask into the Si. This plasma etching process shows a selectivity greater than 19 with respect to the Au mask.