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Quantum Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The recently introduced helium ion microscope (HIM) is capable of imaging and fabrication of nanostructures thanks to its sub-nanometer sized ion probe [1,2]. The unique interaction of the helium ions with the sample material provides very localized secondary electron emission, thus providing a valuable signal for high-resolution imaging as well as a mechanism for very precise nanofabrication [3]. The low proximity effects, due to the low yield of backscattered ions and the confinement of the forward scattered ions into a narrow cone, enable patterning of ultra-dense sub-10 nm structures. This paper presents various nanofabrication results obtained with direct-write, with scanning helium ion beam lithography, and with helium ion beam induced deposition., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Quantum Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The recently introduced helium ion microscope (HIM) is capable of imaging and fabrication of nanostructures thanks to its sub-nanometer sized ion probe [1,2]. The unique interaction of the helium ions with the sample material provides very localized secondary electron emission, thus providing a valuable signal for high-resolution imaging as well as a mechanism for very precise nanofabrication [3]. The low proximity effects, due to the low yield of backscattered ions and the confinement of the forward scattered ions into a narrow cone, enable patterning of ultra-dense sub-10 nm structures. This paper presents various nanofabrication results obtained with direct-write, with scanning helium ion beam lithography, and with helium ion beam induced deposition., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The photonic properties of two classes of wavelength-sized cavities are reported for deeply etched InP/InGaAsP/InP planar photonic crystals. The high aspect, deeply etched structures are studied as potential building blocks for nonmembrane type photonic devices in standard InP photonic integrated circuits. The first class consists of cavities of one unit cell in one direction and varying size in the other planar direction. The studied class includes a Fabry–Perot type cavity with one row of missing holes, a simple single missing hole defect cavity, and a cavity consisting of two holes which have been slightly shifted and reduced in hole radius. The best observed quality factor of 65 in this class is obtained for a single hole defect cavity. The second class is comprised of cavities which are derived from a three missing row defect in one direction and varying size in the other direction. This includes a Fabry–Perot type cavity with three rows of missing holes, a point defect cavity consisting of seven unetched holes and a six hole ring cavity. The best observed quality factor of 300 is obtained for the ring cavity in this second class of structures, which is adequate for applications., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

This letter presents the application of electrostatic pull-in instability to study the size-dependent effective Young’s Modulus ? ( ~170–70?GPa) of [110] silicon nanocantilevers (thickness ~1019–40?nm). The presented approach shows substantial advantages over the previous methods used for characterization of nanoelectromechanical systems behaviors. The ? is retrieved from the pull-in voltage of the structure via the electromechanical coupled equation, with a typical error of ? 12%, much less than previous work in the field. Measurement results show a strong size-dependence of ?. The approach is simple and reproducible for various dimensions and can be extended to the characterization of nanobeams and nanowires., Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Photonic crystal (PC) devices in the InP/InGaAsP/InP planar waveguide system exhibiting narrow bandwidth features were investigated for use as ultrasmall and tunable building blocks for photonic integrated circuits at the telecom wavelength of 1.55 ?m. The H1 cavity, consisting of a single PC-hole left unetched, represents the smallest possible cavity in a dielectric material. The tuning of this cavity by temperature was investigated under the conditions as etched and after the holes were infiltrated with liquid crystal (LC), thus separating the contributions of host semiconductor and LC-infill. The shift and tuning by temperature of the MiniStopBand (MSB) in a W3 waveguide, consisting of three rows of holes left unetched, was observed after infiltrating the PC with LC. The samples finally underwent a third processing step of local wet underetching the PC to leave an InGaAsP membrane structure, which was optically assessed through the ridge waveguides that remained after the under etch and by SNOM-probing., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The recently introduced helium ion microscope (HIM) is capable of imaging and fabrication of nanostructures thanks to its sub-nanometer sized ion probe [1,2]. The unique interaction of the helium ions with the sample material provides very localized secondary electron emission, thus providing a valuable signal for high-resolution imaging as well as a mechanism for very precise nanofabrication [3]. The low proximity effects, due to the low yield of backscattered ions and the confinement of the forward scattered ions into a narrow cone, enable patterning of ultra-dense sub-10 nm structures. This paper presents various nanofabrication results obtained with direct-write, with scanning helium ion beam lithography, and with helium ion beam induced deposition., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

This letter presents the application of electrostatic pull-in instability to study the size-dependent effective Young’s Modulus ? ( ~170–70?GPa) of [110] silicon nanocantilevers (thickness ~1019–40?nm). The presented approach shows substantial advantages over the previous methods used for characterization of nanoelectromechanical systems behaviors. The ? is retrieved from the pull-in voltage of the structure via the electromechanical coupled equation, with a typical error of ? 12%, much less than previous work in the field. Measurement results show a strong size-dependence of ?. The approach is simple and reproducible for various dimensions and can be extended to the characterization of nanobeams and nanowires., Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Photonic crystal (PC) devices in the InP/InGaAsP/InP planar waveguide system exhibiting narrow bandwidth features were investigated for use as ultrasmall and tunable building blocks for photonic integrated circuits at the telecom wavelength of 1.55 ?m. The H1 cavity, consisting of a single PC-hole left unetched, represents the smallest possible cavity in a dielectric material. The tuning of this cavity by temperature was investigated under the conditions as etched and after the holes were infiltrated with liquid crystal (LC), thus separating the contributions of host semiconductor and LC-infill. The shift and tuning by temperature of the MiniStopBand (MSB) in a W3 waveguide, consisting of three rows of holes left unetched, was observed after infiltrating the PC with LC. The samples finally underwent a third processing step of local wet underetching the PC to leave an InGaAsP membrane structure, which was optically assessed through the ridge waveguides that remained after the under etch and by SNOM-probing., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The recently introduced helium ion microscope (HIM) is capable of imaging and fabrication of nanostructures thanks to its sub-nanometer sized ion probe [1,2]. The unique interaction of the helium ions with the sample material provides very localized secondary electron emission, thus providing a valuable signal for high-resolution imaging as well as a mechanism for very precise nanofabrication [3]. The low proximity effects, due to the low yield of backscattered ions and the confinement of the forward scattered ions into a narrow cone, enable patterning of ultra-dense sub-10 nm structures. This paper presents various nanofabrication results obtained with direct-write, with scanning helium ion beam lithography, and with helium ion beam induced deposition., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The photonic properties of two classes of wavelength-sized cavities are reported for deeply etched InP/InGaAsP/InP planar photonic crystals. The high aspect, deeply etched structures are studied as potential building blocks for nonmembrane type photonic devices in standard InP photonic integrated circuits. The first class consists of cavities of one unit cell in one direction and varying size in the other planar direction. The studied class includes a Fabry–Perot type cavity with one row of missing holes, a simple single missing hole defect cavity, and a cavity consisting of two holes which have been slightly shifted and reduced in hole radius. The best observed quality factor of 65 in this class is obtained for a single hole defect cavity. The second class is comprised of cavities which are derived from a three missing row defect in one direction and varying size in the other direction. This includes a Fabry–Perot type cavity with three rows of missing holes, a point defect cavity consisting of seven unetched holes and a six hole ring cavity. The best observed quality factor of 300 is obtained for the ring cavity in this second class of structures, which is adequate for applications., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

A method for improving the aspect ratio of ultrahigh-resolution structures in negative electron-beam resist is provided for enhanced pattern-transfer capabilities. The essence of the proposed method is to form a protective “cap” on top of the resist structure by means of electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) in a self-aligned approach. This is implemented by a combination of electron-beam lithography and EBID during exposure of the resist material in the presence of a precursor gas. The results of the proposed method using hydrogen silsesquioxane resist material are presented and discussed, including various attempts to further optimize this method., QN/Quantum Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The filling is reported of the air holes of an InP-based two-dimensional photonic crystal with solid polymer and withliquid crystal 5CB. The polymer filling is obtained by thermal polymerization of an infiltrated liquid monomer,trimethylolpropane triacrylate. The filling procedure for both the monomer and liquid crystal relies on the capillaryaction of the liquid inside the ~ 200 nm diameter and > 2.5 ?m deep air holes. The solid polymer infiltration result wasdirectly inspected by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the holes are fully filled to thebottom. The photonic crystals were optically characterized by transmission measurements around the 1.5 ?mwavelength band both before and after infiltration. The observed high-frequency band edge shifts are consistent withclose to 100% filling, for both the polymer and the liquid crystal. No differences were observed for filling under vacuum or ambient, indicating that the air diffuses efficiently through the liquid infiltrates, in agreement with estimates based on the capillary pressure rise., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Applied Sciences

Polymer filling of the air holes of indium-phosphide-based two-dimensional photonic crystals is reported. After infiltration of the holes with a liquid monomer and solidification of the infill in situ by thermal polymerization, complete filling is proven using scanning electron microscopy. Optical transmission measurements of a filled photonic crystal structure exhibit a redshift of the air band, confirming the complete filling., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Polymer filling of the air holes of indiumphosphide based two-dimensional photonic crystals is reported. The filling is performed by infiltration with a liquid monomer and solidification of the infill in situ by thermal polymerization. Complete hole filling is obtained with infiltration under ambient pressure. This conclusion is based both on crosssectional scanning electron microscope inspection of the filled samples as well as on optical transmission measurements., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

We have developed a reliable process to fabricate high quality 2D air-hole and dielectric column InP photonic crystals with a high aspect ratio on a STS production tool using ICP N2+Cl2 plasma. The photonic crystals have a triangular lattice with lattice constant of 400 nm and air-hole and dielectric column radius of 120 nm. Large efforts have been devoted on developing a proper mask. We obtained a perfect, clean and vertical profiled SiNX mask. The next main effort is InP pattern transfer in Cl2+N2 plasma. Etching selectivity, smooth sidewall and etch profile are directly related to plasma process condition, besides the quality of SiNX mask. We have optimized the N2+Cl2 plasma condition to obtain high aspect ratio, vertical profile and smooth sidewall InP structures. Cylindrical holes (2 micron depth) and rodlike pillars (2.4 micron height) are uniformly fabricated. An aspect ratio of 18 for 100nm trench lines has been obtained. AFM measurement evidences that etched surfaces are smooth. The root mean square roughness of pillar and hole is 0.7 nm and 0.8 nm, respectively. The optical transmission characterization of ridge waveguides has been carried out. Transmission spectrum of 1 micron wide waveguide has been obtained., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

The filling is reported of the air holes of an InP-based two-dimensional photonic crystal with solid polymer and withliquid crystal 5CB. The polymer filling is obtained by thermal polymerization of an infiltrated liquid monomer,trimethylolpropane triacrylate. The filling procedure for both the monomer and liquid crystal relies on the capillaryaction of the liquid inside the ~ 200 nm diameter and > 2.5 ?m deep air holes. The solid polymer infiltration result wasdirectly inspected by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the holes are fully filled to thebottom. The photonic crystals were optically characterized by transmission measurements around the 1.5 ?mwavelength band both before and after infiltration. The observed high-frequency band edge shifts are consistent withclose to 100% filling, for both the polymer and the liquid crystal. No differences were observed for filling under vacuum or ambient, indicating that the air diffuses efficiently through the liquid infiltrates, in agreement with estimates based on the capillary pressure rise., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft, Applied Sciences

Polymer filling of the air holes of indium-phosphide-based two-dimensional photonic crystals is reported. After infiltration of the holes with a liquid monomer and solidification of the infill in situ by thermal polymerization, complete filling is proven using scanning electron microscopy. Optical transmission measurements of a filled photonic crystal structure exhibit a redshift of the air band, confirming the complete filling., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

We have developed a reliable process to fabricate high quality 2D air-hole and dielectric column InP photonic crystals with a high aspect ratio on a STS production tool using ICP N2+Cl2 plasma. The photonic crystals have a triangular lattice with lattice constant of 400 nm and air-hole and dielectric column radius of 120 nm. Large efforts have been devoted on developing a proper mask. We obtained a perfect, clean and vertical profiled SiNX mask. The next main effort is InP pattern transfer in Cl2+N2 plasma. Etching selectivity, smooth sidewall and etch profile are directly related to plasma process condition, besides the quality of SiNX mask. We have optimized the N2+Cl2 plasma condition to obtain high aspect ratio, vertical profile and smooth sidewall InP structures. Cylindrical holes (2 micron depth) and rodlike pillars (2.4 micron height) are uniformly fabricated. An aspect ratio of 18 for 100nm trench lines has been obtained. AFM measurement evidences that etched surfaces are smooth. The root mean square roughness of pillar and hole is 0.7 nm and 0.8 nm, respectively. The optical transmission characterization of ridge waveguides has been carried out. Transmission spectrum of 1 micron wide waveguide has been obtained., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Polymer filling of the air holes of indiumphosphide based two-dimensional photonic crystals is reported. The filling is performed by infiltration with a liquid monomer and solidification of the infill in situ by thermal polymerization. Complete hole filling is obtained with infiltration under ambient pressure. This conclusion is based both on crosssectional scanning electron microscope inspection of the filled samples as well as on optical transmission measurements., Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Applied Sciences

Chlorine-based inductively coupled plasma etching processes are investigated for the purpose of etching twodimensional photonic crystals in InP-based materials. Etch rates up to 3.7 µm/min and selectivity’s to the SiN mask up to 19 are reported. For the removal of indiumchloride etch products both the application of elevated temperatures and high ion energy’s are investigated. The reactor pressure is an important parameter, as it determines the supply of reactive chlorine. It is shown, that N2 passivates feature sidewalls during etching, improving the anisotropy. Ions that impact onto the sidewalls, either directly or after scattering with the SiN-mask or hole interior, cause sidewall etching. Highly directional ion bombardment and vertical sidewalls in the SiN-mask are therefore crucial for successful etching of fine high aspect ratio structures., Delft Institute for Microelectronics and Submicron Technology, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Chlorine-based inductively coupled plasma etching processes are investigated for the purpose of etching twodimensional photonic crystals in InP-based materials. Etch rates up to 3.7 µm/min and selectivity’s to the SiN mask up to 19 are reported. For the removal of indiumchloride etch products both the application of elevated temperatures and high ion energy’s are investigated. The reactor pressure is an important parameter, as it determines the supply of reactive chlorine. It is shown, that N2 passivates feature sidewalls during etching, improving the anisotropy. Ions that impact onto the sidewalls, either directly or after scattering with the SiN-mask or hole interior, cause sidewall etching. Highly directional ion bombardment and vertical sidewalls in the SiN-mask are therefore crucial for successful etching of fine high aspect ratio structures., Delft Institute for Microelectronics and Submicron Technology, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science