Ultra-fine nanofabrication by hybrid of energetic ion induced fluidization and stress

This paper reports a novel method for nanofabrication utilizing the hybrid of energetic ion induced fluidization and stress. In the method, large-area irradiation of focused ion beam (FIB) on suspended film structures such as clamped-clamped cantilevers is adopted. The ion (such as Ga⁺) bombardment causes sputtering, fluidization and stress introducing to the target materials. These effects work together to decrease and reshape the left materials, finally resulting in forming and stretching quasi-liquid bridges. Based on this mechanism, we have achieved parallel fabrication of multi nanostrings with diameter less than 10 nm by large-area FIB irradiation. We have also produced fusiform mass structure suspended with sub-10 nm links, and successfully rotated a suspended square in-plane.