Fabrication of Nano-scale Reference Materials with Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)-based Lithography

Three SPM-based techniques are put forward to fabricate 1D and 2D nanoscale reference materials, i.e. atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip-induced anodic oxidation on Si substrate, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) current-induced oxidation on Ti film as well as AFM tip-scratching on Au film. The experimental parameters are analyzed and classified. For AFM tip-induced anodic oxidation on Si substrate and STM current-induced oxidation on Ti film, influencing factors include applied tip bias, tip curvature radii, scanning rate, scanning size, surface quality of sample and relative humidity and etc. For AFM tip-scratching, influencing factors include applied tip bias, tip curvature radii, scratching rate, scratching length, scratching cycles, surface quality of sample, and etc. Based on the optimization of the respectively experimental parameters, 1D and 2D nanoscale reference materials are fabricated. The fabrication accuracy of nanoscale reference materials is analyzed, and the relations between the accuracy of the grating line and the respectively experimental parameters are also obtained