Towards the third dimension in direct electron beam writing of silver

• Katja Höflich,
• Jakub Mateusz Jurczyk,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Maximilian Götz,
• Luisa Berger,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez,
• Caspar Haverkamp,
• Iwona Szymanska and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 842–849, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.78

• towards the direct electron beam writing of three-dimensional plasmonic device parts from the gas phase. Keywords: carboxylate; electron beam induced deposition; silver; three-dimensional nanostructures; vertical growth rate; Introduction Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a resistless

• ]. The identification of such novel precursor compounds for FEBID is a subject of intense research since direct writing of 3D materials and nanodevices can advance diverse applications, for example in the field of plasmonics [17][18][19]. One ideal plasmonic material is silver, which exhibits strongly

• appropriate ligands. Even more importantly, the ligands tend to be only weakly bonded and, thus, easily exchange the metal atom [26]. These properties exclude the gas-phase FEBID of silver for conventional gas-injection systems (GIS) that are flanged at the outer chamber walls. Recently, the first gas-phase

Dynamics and fragmentation mechanism of (C₅H₄CH₃)Pt(CH₃)₃ on SiO₂ surfaces

• Kaliappan Muthukumar,
• Harald O. Jeschke and
• Roser Valentí

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 711–720, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.66

• ); focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID); precursor; trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) ((CH3-C5H4)Pt(CH3)3); Introduction Nanoscale device applications require a growth of regular or specially patterned transition metal nanodeposits. Electron beam induced deposition (EBID), is a size

Electron interactions with the heteronuclear carbonyl precursor H₂FeRu₃(CO)₁₃ and comparison with HFeCo₃(CO)₁₂: from fundamental gas phase and surface science studies to focused electron beam induced deposition

• Ragesh Kumar T P,
• Paul Weirich,
• Lukas Hrachowina,
• Marc Hanefeld,
• Ragnar Bjornsson,
• Helgi Rafn Hrodmarsson,
• Sven Barth,
• D. Howard Fairbrother,
• Michael Huth and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 555–579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.53

• with 500 eV electrons, and its performance in focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) at room temperature under HV conditions. The performance of this precursor in FEBID is poor, resulting in maximum metal content of 26 atom % under optimized conditions. Furthermore, the Ru/Fe ratio in the

• FEBID deposit (≈3.5) is higher than the 3:1 ratio predicted. This is somewhat surprising as in recent FEBID studies on a structurally similar bimetallic precursor, HFeCo3(CO)12, metal contents of about 80 atom % is achievable on a routine basis and the deposits are found to maintain the initial Co/Fe

• are largely unaffected by either further electron irradiation or annealing to room temperature, with a predicted metal content similar to what is observed in FEBID. Furthermore, gas phase experiments indicate formation of Fe(CO)4 from H2FeRu3(CO)13 upon low energy electron interaction. This fragment

Electron interaction with copper(II) carboxylate compounds

• Michal Lacko,
• Peter Papp,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Edward Szłyk and
• Štefan Matejčík

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 384–398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.38

• fragments of these complexes are formed through single particle resonant processes close to 0 eV. Keywords: amines; dissociative electron attachment; dissociative ionization; FEBID; low energy electrons interaction; Introduction Present technological changes require the development of new methods and new

• latter, reactive chemical species (radicals) and electrons lead to activation of molecules and this process can be controlled well on large scales. One of the most innovative techniques, known as EBID or FEBID (Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition) [2][3], uses a high energy electron beam that can be

• photolithographic masks [4][5]. However, the underlying chemical reactions on the surface are still not well known. Moreover, the main problems of FEBID are co-deposited impurities resulting from incomplete dissociation of the precursor molecules. The level of purity strongly depends on the type of the precursor

Gas-assisted silver deposition with a focused electron beam

• Luisa Berger,
• Katarzyna Madajska,
• Iwona B. Szymanska,
• Katja Höflich,
• Mikhail N. Polyakov,
• Jakub Jurczyk,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 224–232, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.24

• Physics and Applied Computer Science, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland 10.3762/bjnano.9.24 Abstract Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a flexible direct-write method to obtain defined structures with a high lateral resolution. In order to use this technique in application fields

• such as plasmonics, suitable precursors which allow the deposition of desired materials have to be identified. Well known for its plasmonic properties, silver represents an interesting candidate for FEBID. For this purpose the carboxylate complex silver(I) pentafluoropropionate (AgO2CC2F5) was used for

• the first time in FEBID and resulted in deposits with high silver content of up to 76 atom %. As verified by TEM investigations, the deposited material is composed of pure silver crystallites in a carbon matrix. It showed good electrical properties and a strong Raman signal enhancement. Interestingly

Comparative study of post-growth annealing of Cu(hfac)₂, Co₂(CO)₈ and Me₂Au(acac) metal precursors deposited by FEBID

• Marcos V. Puydinger dos Santos,
• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Artur Rydosz,
• Carlos Guerra-Nuñez,
• Fanny Béron,
• Kleber R. Pirota,
• Stanislav Moshkalev,
• José Alexandre Diniz and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 91–101, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.11

• storage, ferroelectric tunnel junction memristors, metal interconnects for high performance integrated circuits in microelectronics and nano-optics applications, especially in the areas of plasmonics and metamaterials. Focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) is a maskless direct-write tool

• capable of defining 3-dimensional metal deposits at nanometre scale for above applications. However, codeposition of organic ligands when using organometallic precursors is a typical problem that limits FEBID of pure metal nanostructures. In this work, we present a comparative study using a post-growth

• relatively simple vacuum-based post-growth annealing protocol may be useful for other precursors as it proved to be efficient in reliably tuning the electrical properties of as-deposited FEBID materials. Finally, a H2-assisted gold purification protocol is demonstrated at temperatures around 300 °C by fully

Electron-driven and thermal chemistry during water-assisted purification of platinum nanomaterials generated by electron beam induced deposition

• Ziyan Warneke,
• Markus Rohdenburg,
• Jonas Warneke,
• Janina Kopyra and
• Petra Swiderek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 77–90, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.10

• Division, Richland, WA, USA Siedlce University, Faculty of Sciences, 4 Maja 54, 08-110 Siedlce, Poland 10.3762/bjnano.9.10 Abstract Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a versatile tool for the direct-write fabrication of nanostructures on surfaces. However, FEBID nanostructures are usually

• highly contaminated by carbon originating from the precursor used in the process. Recently, it was shown that platinum nanostructures produced by FEBID can be efficiently purified by electron irradiation in the presence of water. If such processes can be transferred to FEBID deposits produced from other

• carbon-containing precursors, a new general approach to the generation of pure metallic nanostructures could be implemented. Therefore this study aims to understand the chemical reactions that are fundamental to the water-assisted purification of platinum FEBID deposits generated from trimethyl

Response under low-energy electron irradiation of a thin film of a potential copper precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID)

• Leo Sala,
• Iwona B. Szymańska,
• Céline Dablemont,
• Anne Lafosse and
• Lionel Amiaud

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 57–65, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.8

• 10.3762/bjnano.9.8 Abstract Background: Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) allows for the deposition of free standing material within nanometre sizes. The improvement of the technique needs a combination of new precursors and optimized irradiation strategies to achieve a controlled

• for ligands fragmentation allow one to envisage the use of the two precursors for FEBID studies. Keywords: amines; copper(II); electron-stimulated desorption; FEBID precursors; HREELS; low-energy electrons; perfluorinated carboxylates; Introduction The high electrical conductivity of copper makes it

• obtained with non-standard processes, for example with FEBID in aqueous solution [3] or with ion beam assisted deposition with plasma treatments [4]. For purity improvement of copper deposits, an alternative is the use of precursors with multiple copper ions. This class of metallic complex precursors has

The rational design of a Au(I) precursor for focused electron beam induced deposition

• Ali Marashdeh,
• Thiadrik Tiesma,
• Niels J. C. van Velzen,
• Sjoerd Harder,
• Remco W. A. Havenith,
• Jeff T. M. De Hosson and
• Willem F. van Dorp

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2753–2765, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.274

• , we propose a Au(I) compound for high-purity gold deposition. Results and Discussion Crystal structures of Au complexes The stability of FEBID precursor molecules in Figure 2 strongly depends on the stability of the metal–ligand bond. Apart from that, intermolecular Au–Au interactions (aurophilicity

• ) may have a large influence on chemical stability and volatility. The crystal structure of the new precursor in FEBID, MeAuPMe3, is discussed in context with a larger group of gold complexes that either contain Au–CO or Au–PX3 bonds. In addition, the aurophilicity in a set of Au complexes is compared

Synthesis of [{AgO₂CCH₂OMe(PPh₃)}_n] and theoretical study of its use in focused electron beam induced deposition

• Jelena Tamuliene,
• Julian Noll,
• Peter Frenzel,
• Tobias Rüffer,
• Alexander Jakob,
• Bernhard Walfort and
• Heinrich Lang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2615–2624, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.262

• suitable as a FEBID precursor for silver deposition, its vapor pressure was determined (p170 °C = 5.318 mbar, ∆Hvap = 126.1 kJ mol−1), evincing little volatility. Also EI and ESI mass spectrometric studies were carried out. The dissociation of the silver(I) compound 2 under typical electron-driven FEBID

• O2CCH2OMe− is generated, further following the first fragmentation route. However, at 1.3 eV the initial step is decarboxylation giving [AgCH2OMe(PPh3)], followed by Ag–P and Ag–C bond cleavages. Keywords: DFT; DSC; FEBID; silver(I) carboxylate; solid-state structure; TGA; Introduction Focused electron

• beam induced deposition (FEBID) is a cost efficient direct resist-free chemical vapor deposition technique producing free-standing 3D metal-containing nanoscale structures in a single step on, for example, surfaces of sub-10 nm size using a variety of materials with a high degree of spatial and time

Interactions of low-energy electrons with the FEBID precursor chromium hexacarbonyl (Cr(CO)₆)

• Jusuf M. Khreis,
• João Ameixa,
• Filipe Ferreira da Silva and
• Stephan Denifl

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2583–2590, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.258

• Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal 10.3762/bjnano.8.258 Abstract Interactions of low-energy electrons with the FEBID precursor Cr(CO)6 have been investigated in a crossed electron–molecular beam setup coupled with a double focusing mass

• ; dissociative electron attachment; electron ionization; FEBID; metastable decay; Introduction Organometallic compounds have been extensively studied since they are used for a broad field of applications. Among the variety of applications, nanotechnologies have caught special attention since organometallic

• deposition (FEBID) can be considered an assisted chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique. However, in the former case the organometallic precursor is not fragmented by thermal energy but instead by a high-energy electron beam. The precursor molecules are delivered to the substrate in the gas phase and

Direct writing of gold nanostructures with an electron beam: On the way to pure nanostructures by combining optimized deposition with oxygen-plasma treatment

• Domagoj Belić,
• Mostafa M. Shawrav,
• Emmerich Bertagnolli and
• Heinz D. Wanzenboeck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2530–2543, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.253

• microstructures can be fabricated by one-step direct-write lithography process using focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). Typically, as-deposited gold nanostructures suffer from a low Au content and unacceptably high carbon contamination. We show that the undesirable carbon contamination can be

• diminished using a two-step process – a combination of optimized deposition followed by appropriate postdeposition cleaning. Starting from the common metal-organic precursor Me2-Au-tfac, it is demonstrated that the Au content in pristine FEBID nanostructures can be increased from 30 atom % to as much as 72

• direct writing of purer gold nanostructures that can enable their future use for demanding applications. Keywords: FEBID; gold nanostructures; oxygen plasma; postdeposition purification; Introduction Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is an additive direct-write method for making complex

Comparing postdeposition reactions of electrons and radicals with Pt nanostructures created by focused electron beam induced deposition

• Julie A. Spencer,
• Michael Barclay,
• Miranda J. Gallagher,
• Robert Winkler,
• Ilyas Unlu,
• Yung-Chien Wu,
• Harald Plank,
• Lisa McElwee-White and
• D. Howard Fairbrother

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2410–2424, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.240

• from PtCl2 deposits created from cis-Pt(CO)2Cl2 by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is evaluated. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) measurements as well as thermodynamics calculations support the idea that electrons can remove chlorine from

• atoms can be efficiently and completely removed from PtCl2 deposits using AH, regardless of the thickness of the deposit. Although AH was found to be extremely effective at chemically purifying PtCl2 deposits, its viability as a FEBID purification strategy is compromised by the mobility of transient Pt

• of AO restricts its effectiveness as a purification strategy to relatively small nanostructures. Keywords: atomic hydrogen; atomic oxygen; electron beam processing; focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID); purification; Introduction Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) has

Electron beam induced deposition of silacyclohexane and dichlorosilacyclohexane: the role of dissociative ionization and dissociative electron attachment in the deposition process

• Ragesh Kumar T P,
• Sangeetha Hari,
• Krishna K Damodaran,
• Oddur Ingólfsson and
• Cornelis W. Hagen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2376–2388, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.237

• /bjnano.8.237 Abstract We present first experiments on electron beam induced deposition of silacyclohexane (SCH) and dichlorosilacyclohexane (DCSCH) under a focused high-energy electron beam (FEBID). We compare the deposition dynamics observed when growing pillars of high aspect ratio from these compounds

• attachment; dissociative ionization; electron beam induced deposition; low-energy electrons; silacyclohexane; Introduction Focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) [1][2] is a 3-D direct writing method suitable for the fabrication of nanostructures, even on non-planar surfaces. This approach is in

• constellation, and the product formation through these channels is very different. In recent years significant, concerted effort has been taken to de-convolute the effect of these different processes to better understand the physics and chemistry behind the FEBID process and to purposely turn that knowledge

Dissociative electron attachment to coordination complexes of chromium: chromium(0) hexacarbonyl and benzene-chromium(0) tricarbonyl

• Janina Kopyra,
• Paulina Maciejewska and
• Jelena Maljković

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2257–2263, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.225

• [1][2][3]. However, they also play an important role in nanotechnology. In fact, a number of organometallic complexes, originally designed for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) purposes, have also been recognized as promising precursors for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID), a process to

• fabricate three-dimensional metal-containing nanoscale structures [4][5]. FEBID is a direct-write technique in which a highly focused, high-energy electron beam impinges on precursor molecules physisorbed onto a substrate, thereby causing their dissociation, and in the ideal case, leading to pure deposit

• molecules [9][10][11]. Therefore, SEs may play a role in determining the composition of the FEBID deposits. Moreover, they may also be responsible for the broadening of the deposits beyond the width of the PE beam since secondary electrons create an electron flux beyond the focal area diameter of the

Comprehensive investigation of the electronic excitation of W(CO)₆ by photoabsorption and theoretical analysis in the energy region from 3.9 to 10.8 eV

• Mónica Mendes,
• Khrystyna Regeta,
• Filipe Ferreira da Silva,
• Nykola C. Jones,
• Søren Vrønning Hoffmann,
• Gustavo García,
• Chantal Daniel and
• Paulo Limão-Vieira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2208–2218, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.220

• of relevance to estimate neutral dissociation cross sections of W(CO)6, a precursor molecule in focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) processes, from electron scattering measurements. Keywords: cross sections; density functional theory (DFT) calculations; focused electron beam induced

• deposition (FEBID); photoabsorption; tungsten hexacarbonyl; Introduction The electronic structure of tungsten hexacarbonyl, W(CO)6, has previously been studied by using a variety of different experimental and theoretical methods, with experiments including vacuum ultraviolet experiments in the wavelength

• initio molecular dynamics simulations of focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) precursor molecules adsorbed on fully and partially hydroxylated SiO2 surfaces [24]. Electron-induced reactions in FEBID processes are initiated by low-energy secondary electrons rather than the high-energy primary

Suppression of low-energy dissociative electron attachment in Fe(CO)₅ upon clustering

• Jozef Lengyel,
• Peter Papp,
• Štefan Matejčík,
• Jaroslav Kočišek,
• Michal Fárník and
• Juraj Fedor

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2200–2207, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.219

• electron attachment in isolated Fe(CO)5. Keywords: aggregation effects; dissociative electron attachment; FEBID; iron pentacarbonyl; long-range interactions; Introduction In recent years a number of gas-phase studies on molecules that are commonly used as precursors in electron-induced nanofabrication

• undergoes neutral dissociation. This yields an electron with very low residual energy that causes DEA in another precursor molecule and the resulting anion effectively reacts with the coordinatively unsaturated products of the neutral dissociation. Such a process – possibly very relevant at realistic FEBID

• typical FEBID precursor are extremely sensitive to its elementary environment. In the gas phase, the decomposition via anion production proceeds at very low electron energies. Even the presence of several neighboring molecules opens the possibility of a new anion synthesis channel at electron energies

Modelling focused electron beam induced deposition beyond Langmuir adsorption

• Dédalo Sanz-Hernández and
• Amalio Fernández-Pacheco

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2151–2161, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.214

• Dedalo Sanz-Hernandez Amalio Fernandez-Pacheco Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom 10.3762/bjnano.8.214 Abstract In this work, the continuum model for focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) is generalized to account for multilayer

• changes in FEBID characteristic frequencies. Additionally, we present a set of FEBID frequency maps where growth rate and surface coverage are plotted as a function of characteristic timescales. From the analysis of Langmuir, as well as homogeneous and heterogeneous multilayer maps, we infer that three

• types of growth regimes are possible for FEBID under no diffusion, resulting into four types of adsorption isotherms. We propose the use of these maps as a powerful tool for the analysis of FEBID processes. Keywords: adsorption isotherm theory; BET model; continuum model; focused electron beam induced

Magnetic properties of optimized cobalt nanospheres grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) on cantilever tips

• Soraya Sangiao,
• César Magén,
• Darius Mofakhami,
• Grégoire de Loubens and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2106–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.210

• work, we present a detailed investigation of the magnetic properties of cobalt nanospheres grown on cantilever tips by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). The cantilevers are extremely soft and the cobalt nanospheres are optimized for magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) experiments

• nanospheres with a diameter of ≈200 nm, which present atomic cobalt content of ≈83 atom % and saturation magnetization of 106 A/m, around 70% of the bulk value. These results represent the first comprehensive investigation of the magnetic properties of cobalt nanospheres grown by FEBID for application in MRFM

• magnetic nanostructures have been produced in last years by the focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) technique [1][2]. The extensive list of nanostructures includes: (a) planar deposits in the shape of Hall bars for sensing purposes [3][4][5][6]; (b) magnetic nanopillars for functionalization

Fixation mechanisms of nanoparticles on substrates by electron beam irradiation

• Daichi Morioka,
• Tomohiro Nose,
• Taiki Chikuta,
• Kazutaka Mitsuishi and
• Masayuki Shimojo

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1523–1529, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.153

• produced by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) [6], photo-lithography (PL), or micro-contact printing (μCP) [7]. However, the purity of the deposits from FEBID is generally low, and PL and μCP require complicated processes including the fabrication of masks or masters, exposure or stamping

Thickness-modulated tungsten–carbon superconducting nanostructures grown by focused ion beam induced deposition for vortex pinning up to high magnetic fields

• Ismael García Serrano,
• Javier Sesé,
• Isabel Guillamón,
• Hermann Suderow,
• Sebastián Vieira,
• Manuel Ricardo Ibarra and
• José María De Teresa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1698–1708, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.162

• ; Introduction In focused electron/ion beam induced deposition (FEBID/FIBID), a precursor molecule is dissociated by a focused electron/ion beam, producing the local growth of a deposit in a single step and with the shape determined by the electron/ion beam scan [1][2][3][4]. Materials grown by FEBID/FIBID can

Efficient electron-induced removal of oxalate ions and formation of copper nanoparticles from copper(II) oxalate precursor layers

• Kai Rückriem,
• Sarah Grotheer,
• Henning Vieker,
• Paul Penner,
• André Beyer,
• Armin Gölzhäuser and
• Petra Swiderek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 852–861, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.77

• electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) [1][2] solid materials are produced on surfaces through decomposition of volatile precursor compounds under the electron beam [1][3][4]. As an alternative to deposition from the gas phase, FEBID has recently also been performed in micrometer-thin films of molten

• ] and the control of the size of the nanostructures pose challenges [1][11][12][13][18][20]. For example, when metals are deposited from the gas phase by FEBID, the organic ligands that provide the metal organic precursors with sufficient volatility are often not fully decomposed. In consequence

Correction: Formation of pure Cu nanocrystals upon post-growth annealing of Cu–C material obtained from focused electron beam induced deposition: comparison of different methods

• Aleksandra Szkudlarek,
• Alfredo Rodrigues Vaz,
• Yucheng Zhang,
• Andrzej Rudkowski,
• Czesław Kapusta,
• Rolf Erni,
• Stanislav Moshkalev and
• Ivo Utke

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1935–1936, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.196

• nanocrystals; focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID); post-growth annealing of Cu–C material; In Figure 8 of the original article, the scale of the ordinate was wrong. The correct figure looks as follows: Figure 8 in the original article: Calculated resistivity from the resistance measurement of a

• Cu–C line during in situ post-growth heating with a hot plate (red dots) and cooling down (blue dots) inside the SEM chamber. The resistance did not change when opening the chamber. The top SEM images show the morphology changes of an adjacent FEBID line which was observed simultaneously during the

The role of low-energy electrons in focused electron beam induced deposition: four case studies of representative precursors

• Rachel M. Thorman,
• Ragesh Kumar T. P.,
• D. Howard Fairbrother and
• Oddur Ingólfsson

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1904–1926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.194

• induced deposition (FEBID) is a single-step, direct-write nanofabrication technique capable of writing three-dimensional metal-containing nanoscale structures on surfaces using electron-induced reactions of organometallic precursors. Currently FEBID is, however, limited in resolution due to deposition

• low-energy electrons are abundant both inside and outside the area of the primary electron beam and are associated with reactions causing incomplete ligand dissociation from FEBID precursors. As it is not possible to directly study the effects of secondary electrons in situ in FEBID, other means must

• be used to elucidate their role. In this context, gas phase studies can obtain well-resolved information on low-energy electron-induced reactions with FEBID precursors by studying isolated molecules interacting with single electrons of well-defined energy. In contrast, ultra-high vacuum surface

Focused particle beam-induced processing

• Michael Huth and
• Armin Gölzhäuser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1883–1885, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.191

• nanoscale. However, in contrast with large-scale 3D printing of plastic or metallic structures, FPBID provides nanomaterials with a wealth of interesting electronic, optical and magnetic properties. Due to this, focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) has experienced a rapid expansion in the

• breadth of its application fields over the last 10 years. In FEBID, a highly focused electron beam, in most cases provided by a scanning electron microscope, is raster-scanned over a substrate surface on which an adsorbed precursor layer is sustained by a precursor gas injection system. As the primary (as

• shape (i.e., also in 3D) are fully controlled by the precise movements of the electron beam. Under optimized conditions, the intrinsic resolution limit of FEBID is below 5 nm. In this Thematic Series, the FEBID process is considered from different perspectives. The current knowledge of the most relevant