Characterization of ion/electron beam induced deposition of electrical contacts at the sub-{\mu}m scale

TL;DR

This paper compares ion- and electron-beam induced deposition of platinum for creating sub-micrometer electrical contacts, highlighting that EBID produces weakly conductive halos suitable for resist-free measurements.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of halos in IBID and EBID platinum deposits, demonstrating EBID's advantage for sub-micrometer electrical contacts without resist contamination.

Findings

EBID produces weakly conductive halos at the sub-μm scale.

EBID contacts enable resist-free transport measurements.

Four-point measurements on nanotubes confirm EBID contact effectiveness.

Abstract

We investigate the fabrication of electrical contacts using ion- and electron-beam induced deposition of platinum at the sub-\mu m scale. Halos associated with the metal surface decoration are characterized electrically in the 0.05-2 \mu m range using transport measurements, conducting atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe microscopy. In contrast with IBID, EBID electrodes exhibit weakly conductive halos at the sub-\mu m scale, and can thus be used to achieve resist-free electrical contacts for transport measurements at the sub-\mu m scale. Four-point transport measurements using \mu m-spaced EBID contacts are provided in the case of a multiwalled carbon nanotube.