Direct writing of ZrO2on a sub-10 nm scale using an electron beam

We describe a direct write technique using an electron beam to pattern ZrO2 on a sub-10 nm scale that bypasses the conventional method of sputtering and lift-off. This technique utilizes spin-coatable ZrO2 resist prepared by chemically reacting zirconium n-butoxide with benzoyl acetone in ethanol. The patterned resist has a sensitivity and contrast of and 3, respectively. Baking the resist at 85 °C increases the sensitivity to . The electron-beam-exposed regions become insoluble in acetone, thus yielding negative patterns. This property was exploited to write high-resolution patterns as small as 9 nm wide. Such negative patterns can be written with a pitch as close as 30 nm.