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In this letter we demonstrate the possibility of using the solid ionic conductor Ag2S for the fabrication of sub-100 nnm features in a Cu film. We also evaluate the physical properties of the Cu–Ag2S interface through an electroimpedance spectroscopy study. Cu meander lines of 60 nm in width were obtained and the screening length and the surface adatom concentration of Cu on the interface were also evaluated to be 20 nm and 1012/cm2 respectively.

A new approach of directly patterning metal at nano-scale with excellent dimensional resolution and flexibility is introduced for fabrication of functional nano-structures. This technique is based on the solid-state electrochemical dissolution of a metallic substrate at its contact with a pre-patterned surface of a solid electrolyte tool, and the subsequent formation of the complimentary pattern on the metal substrate as the solid electrolyte etches through the metal layer. Our results demonstrate repeatable and high-fidelity patterning of metal structures with a wide dimension range (20 mum to 50 nm). As this process is carried out in ambient environment and does not require wet chemicals, its potential for use as a simple and yet high-throughput metal patterning technique offers a highly competitive approach to fabricating functional structures and devices such as chemical sensors and photonic devices.

This letter presents a solid-state electrochemical nanoimprint process for direct patterning of metallic nanostructures. It uses a patterned solid electrolyte or superionic conductor (such as silver sulfide) as a stamp and etches a metallic film by an electrochemical reaction. Our preliminary experiments demonstrate repeatable and high-fidelity pattern transfer with features down to 50 nm on silver films of thicknesses ranging from 50 to 500 nm. As the process is conducted in an ambient environment and does not involve the use of liquids, it displays potential for single-step, high-throughput, large-area manufacturing of metallic nanostructures. The use of superionic conductors in manufacturing opens up a new and potentially energy-efficient approach to nanopatterning and fabrication. It offers a highly competitive approach, both as a stand-alone process and as a complement of other nanofabrication techniques, to fabricating chemical sensors, photonic and plasmonic structures, and electronic interconnects.

For the first time, the authors report highly selective dry etching of copper with a resolution of 80nm using solid-state electrochemical nanoimprint technology. By exploiting the high mobility of copper ions in solid electrolytes such as copper sulfide, they are able to obtain etching rates up to 5A∕s without the use of contaminating liquids and excessive mechanical forces. Given the dearth of dry etch processes for metals in general and the fact that nanopatterning of metals is typically achieved indirectly using multistep processes, such a direct patterning technique offers potential application in a number of process steps in metallic interconnects and other nanoscale device fabrication.