Fabrication of nanometer metal structures by a combination of techniques of metal evaporation and E-beam nanolithography

A simple but effective technique is described in which a multiple strand filament source for thermal evaporation of metals is used in conjunction with e-beam nanolithography. It is capable of fabricating nanometer metal structures with dimensions smaller than the resist opening by e-beam nanolithography. Preliminary results presented in this paper illustrate that this technique can be extended to dimensions which are beyond the present resolution limit (∼ 15-20nm), achievable with e-beam lithography and positive polymer resist. The pattern generation capability of e-beam nanolithography is extended to the fabrication of complex and high-density nanometer structures with dimensions ∼ 10 nm or less.