Abstract

Electron beam induced deposition (EBID) is a direct-write lithographic technique where volatile precursors are decomposed by a focused electron beam in a low vacuum environment to create nanostructures. A major limitation of EBID is that metal-containing nanostructures deposited from organometallic precursors typically possess unacceptable levels of organic contamination. In this talk, I will describe how surface analytical techniques have provided mechanistic and kinetic insights into EBID. For organometallic precursors containing monodentate ligands EBID typically proceeds via release of a single ligand, analogous to chemical vapor deposition of the same precursor. For many precursors, subsequent reactions involve a competition between electron and thermal stimulated pathways. This mechanistic insight rationalizes the observed influence of substrate temperature on the film composition of EBID materials created from Pt(PF₃)₄ and metal carbonyls. Increased purity is expected for EBID films deposited at high substrate temperatures and low electron fluxes; the same conditions that reduce growth rates.