Advancing Glass Engineering: Harnessing Focused Electron Beams for Direct Microstructuring

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method for directly microstructuring glass using electron beams in a standard scanning electron microscope.

Contribution

The novel contribution is enabling direct glass structuring in any SEM through electron-beam-induced ion migration and defect generation.

Findings

Structures of several hundred nanometers in depth can be created using electron energies of 5–15 keV.

Freeform structuring, metal embedding, and multi-level patterning are achievable on fragile, 3D-structured glass surfaces.

The method works with various glasses like fused silica and ultra-low expansion glass equipped with a charge dissipation top-layer.

Abstract

A technological approach for direct glass structuring is presented by exploiting electron‐beam‐induced defect generation utilizing a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM). The structuring process is assumed to be linked to electron‐beam‐induced ion migration and allows to create structures of several hundred nanometers in depth. It is demonstrated that the structuring can be realized in literally any SEM, which thus enables a comparatively simple implementation in support of a broad field of applications. The experiments are realized using electron energies of 5 to 15 keV in combination with different kinds of glasses, such as fused silica and ultra‐low expansion glass, that are equipped with a charge dissipation top‐layer. By controlling the beam trajectory at the surface and the electron beam parameters, freeform structuring, structure arrays, direct embedding of metal structures into the glass surface, and beam‐defined three‐level patterning are realized. The shown electron beam‐based glass structuring extends therefore the current possibilities in a complementary manner, enabling further fabrication strategies and direct structuring even of fragile, 3D‐structured surfaces.

An approach for the direct patterning of glasses is presented, using electron‐beam‐induced defect generation in a conventional scanning electron microscope. This method enables the direct microstructuring of glasses with charge‐dissipation top‐layers, such as fused silica, using electron energies of 5–15 keV. Applications include freeform patterning, metal embedding, and multi‐level patterning, offering new fabrication possibilities even for 3D‐structured glass surfaces.

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