Erasable electrostatic lithography

We report a new lithography called erasable electrostatic lithography (EEL) where patterns of charge are drawn on a GaAs surface with a scanning probe. The charge locally depletes electrons from a subsurface 2D electron system to define any quantum component. Crucially, EEL is performed in the same low-temperature high-vacuum environment required for measurement, so patterning, measurement, and device modification are made during a single cool down. This vastly reduces the measurement-lithography cycle time compared to other lithographic techniques such as electron-beam and local oxidation by atomic force microscopy. EEL is particularly productive where device geometry is of interest, such as investigations of the 0.7 anomaly and chaotic electron trajectories in quantum billiards.