Scanning Tunneling Microscope Nanolithography on SrRuO3 Thin Film Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates nanoscale lithography on SrRuO3 thin films using scanning tunneling microscopy, showing control over etching depth and width, and successfully fabricating a nanostructure for potential device applications.

Contribution

It introduces a method for precise nanolithography on SrRuO3 thin films using STM, with experimental validation and theoretical analysis of etching mechanisms.

Findings

Etched line depth increases with bias voltage.

Line width depends on bias voltage, matching theoretical models.

A three-square nanostructure was successfully fabricated.

Abstract

Nanoscale lithography on SrRuO3 (SRO) thin film surfaces has been performed by scanning tunneling microscopy under ambient conditions. The depth of etched lines increases with increasing bias voltage but it does not change significantly by increasing the tunneling current. The dependence of line width on bias voltage from experimental data is in agreement with theoretical calculation based on field-induced evaporation. Moreover, a three-square nanostructure was successfully created, showing the capability of fabricating nanodevices in SRO thin films.