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Focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID) is a nanopatterning technique that uses a focused beam of charged ions to decompose a gaseous precursor. So far, the flexible patterning capabilities of FIBID have been widely exploited in the fabrication of superconducting nanostructures, using the W(CO) 6 precursor mostly in combination with a focused beam of Ga + ions. Here, the fabrication and characterization of superconducting in-plane tungsten-carbon (W-C) nanostructures by He + FIBID of the W(CO) 6 precursor is reported. A patterning resolution of 10 nm has been achieved, which is virtually unattainable for Ga + FIBID. When the nanowires are patterned with widths of 20 nm and above, the deposited material is superconducting below 3.5-4 K. In addition, nanowires with widths of 60 and 90 nm have been found to sustain long-range controlled nonlocal superconducting vortex transfer along 3 μm. Overall, these findings strengthen the capabilities of He + FIBID of W-C in the growth and patterning of in-plane superconducting nanodevices.

The implementation of three-dimensional (3D) nano-objects as building blocks for the next generation of electro-mechanical, memory and sensing nano-devices is at the forefront of technology. The direct writing of functional 3D nanostructures is made feasible by using a method based on focused ion beam induced deposition (FIBID). We use this technique to grow horizontally suspended tungsten nanowires and then study their nano-mechanical properties by three-point bending method with atomic force microscopy. These measurements reveal that these nanowires exhibit a yield strength up to 12 times higher than that of the bulk tungsten, and near the theoretical value of 0.1 times the Young's modulus (E). We find a size dependence of E that is adequately described by a core-shell model, which has been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and compositional analysis at the nanoscale. Additionally, we show that experimental resonance frequencies of suspended nanowires (in the MHz range) are in good agreement with theoretical values. These extraordinary mechanical properties are key to designing electro-mechanically robust nanodevices based on FIBID tungsten nanowires.

To increase the efficiency of current electronics, a specific challenge for the next generation of memory, sensing and logic devices is to find suitable strategies to move from two- to three-dimensional (3D) architectures. However, the creation of real 3D nano-objects is not trivial. Emerging non-conventional nanofabrication tools are required for this purpose. One attractive method is focused-electron-beam induced deposition (FEBID), a direct-write process of 3D nano-objects. Here, we grow 3D iron and cobalt nanopillars by FEBID using diiron nonacarbonyl Fe2(CO)9, and dicobalt octacarbonyl Co2(CO)8, respectively, as starting materials. In addition, we systematically study the composition of these nanopillars at the sub-nanometer scale by atom probe tomography, explicitly mapping the homogeneity of the radial and longitudinal composition distributions. We show a way of fabricating high-purity 3D vertical nanostructures of ∼50 nm in diameter and a few micrometers in length. Our results suggest that the purity of such 3D nanoelements (above 90 at% Fe and above 95 at% Co) is directly linked to their growth regime, in which the selected deposition conditions are crucial for the final quality of the nanostructure. Moreover, we demonstrate that FEBID and the proposed characterization technique not only allow for growth and chemical analysis of single-element structures, but also offers a new way to directly study 3D core-shell architectures. This straightforward concept could establish a promising route to the design of 3D elements for future nano-electronic devices.

Functional nanostructures fabricated by focused electron/ion beam induced processing (FEBIP/FIBIP) open a promising route for applications in nanoelectronics. Such developments rely on the exploration of new advanced materials. We report here the successful fabrication of nickel-based deposits by FEBIP/FIBIP using bis(methyl cyclopentadienyl)nickel as a precursor. In particular, binary compounds such as nickel oxide (NiO) are synthesized by using an in situ two-step process at room temperature. By this method, as-grown Ni deposits transform into homogeneous NiO deposits using focused electron beam irradiation under O2 flux. This procedure is effective in producing highly pure NiO deposits with resistivity of 2000 Ωcm and a polycrystalline structure with face-centred cubic lattice and grains of 5 nm. We demonstrate that systems based on NiO deposits displaying resistance switching and an exchange-bias effect could be grown by FEBIP using optimized parameters. Our results provide a breakthrough towards using these techniques for the fabrication of functional nanodevices.

Applications based on the movement of domain walls (DWs) in magnetic nanowires (NWs) require a good DW conduit behavior, i.e. a significant difference between DW nucleation and propagation fields. In this work, we have systematically studied how this property evolves in cobalt NWs grown by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) as a function of global gallium irradiation, for irradiation doses up to 1.24 × 10(17) ions cm(-2). Whereas for high doses the DW conduit is lost, below 6.42 × 10(15) ions cm(-2) the difference between the two fields increases with irradiation, becoming up to ∼9 times larger than for non-irradiated wires, due to a strong increase in the nucleation field, while the propagation field remains approximately constant. This behavior stems from two effects. The first effect is a decrease in the magnetic volume of the parasitic halo around the NW, typically present in FEBID nanostructures, leading to the disappearance of weak nucleation centers. The second effect is the formation of a 20 nm outer shell with Co crystals about twice the size of those forming the NW core, causing a net increase of the local magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The results presented here are important for the potential use of magnetic NWs grown by FEBID in DW-based devices, and might also be of interest for magnetic NWs fabricated by other techniques.

Scanning transmission x-ray microscopy (STXM) and magnetoresistance (MR) measurements are used to investigate the magnetic behavior of a nanoconstriction joining two micrometric electrodes (a pad and a wire). The reversal of the magnetization under variable external static magnetic fields is imaged. By means of a detailed analysis of the STXM images at the nanocontact area, the MR is calculated, based on diffusive anisotropic-MR. This MR agrees well with that obtained from electrical transport measurements, allowing a direct correlation between the MR signal and the magnetic reversal of the system. The magnetization behavior depends on the sample thickness and constriction dimensions. In 40 nm-thick samples, with 20 × 175 nm(2) contact areas, the magnetization at the two sides of the constriction forms a net angle of 90°, with a progressive evolution of the magnetization structure between the electrodes during switching. The MR in those cases has a more peaked shape than with 20 nm-thick electrodes and 10 × 80 nm(2) contact areas, where the magnetization forms 180° between them, with a wide domain wall pinned at the constriction. As a consequence of this configuration, a plateau in the MR is observed for about 20 Oe.

Titanium is a relevant technological material due to its extraordinary mechanical and biocompatible properties, its nanopatterning being an increasingly important requirement in many applications. We report the successful nanopatterning of titanium by means of focused electron beam induced etching using XeF(2) as a precursor gas. Etch rates up to 1.25 × 10(-3) µm(3) s(-1) and minimum pattern sizes of 80 nm were obtained. Different etching parameters such as beam current, beam energy, dwell time and pixel spacing are systematically investigated, the etching process being optimized by decreasing both the beam current and the beam energy. The etching mechanism is investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Potential applications in nanotechnology are discussed.

We systematically study the effect of oxygen content on the magneto-transport and microstructure of Fe:O:C nanowires deposited by focused-electron-beam-induced (FEBID) deposition. The Fe/O ratio can be varied with an Fe content varying between ∼ 50 and 80 at.% with overall low C content (≈16 ± 3 at.%) by adding H(2)O during the deposition while keeping the beam parameters constant as measured by energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The room-temperature magnetic properties for deposits with an Fe content of 66-71 at.% are investigated using the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) and electric magneto-transport measurements. The nanostructure of the deposits is investigated through cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging, allowing us to link the observed magneto-resistance and resistivity to the transport mechanism in the deposits. These results demonstrate that functional magnetic nanostructures can be created, paving the way for new magnetic or even spintronics devices.

We systematically study individual micro- and nanometric polycrystalline cobalt wires grown by focused-electron-beam-induced-deposition. The deposits were grown in a range of aspect ratios varying from 1 up to 26. The minimum lateral dimension of the nanowires was 150 nm, for a thickness of 40 nm. Atomic force microscopy images show beam-current-dependent profiles, associated with different regimes of deposition. The magnetization reversal of individual nanowires is studied by means of the spatially resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. Abrupt switching is observed, with a systematic dependence on the wire's dimensions. This dependence of the coercive field is understood in magnetostatic terms, and agrees well with previous results on cobalt wires grown with different techniques. The influence of compositional gradients along the structural profile on the magnetic reversal is studied by using micromagnetic simulations. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using this technique to fabricate highly pure magnetic nanostructures, and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the technique with respect to more conventional ones.

A novel technique to establish atomic-sized contacts in metallic materials is shown. It is based on etching a (sub)micrometric electrode via a low-energy focused ion beam. The in situ measurements of the nanoconstriction resistance during the etching process permit control of the formation of atomic-sized constrictions with milling time, observing steps in the conductance in the range of the conductance quantum (G(0) = 2e(2)/h), just before entering the tunnelling regime. These constrictions are highly stable with time due to the adherence to a substrate, which allows further studies such as the detailed current-voltage transport investigation reported here. Scanning electron microscopy images are used to correlate the etching process and the constriction microstructure. The high control achieved in the process makes us suggest this technique as a promising route to study physical phenomena in the verge of the metal-tunnel conduction crossover.