3D Free-form patterning of silicon by ion implantation, silicon deposition, and selective silicon etching

Abstract

A method for additive layer-by-layer fabrication of arbitrarily shaped 3D silicon micro- and nanostructures is reported. The fabrication is based on alternating steps of chemical vapor deposition of silicon and local implantation of gallium ions by focused ion beam (FIB) writing. In a final step, the defined 3D structures are formed by etching the silicon in potassium hydroxide (KOH), in which the local ion implantation provides the etching selectivity. The method is demonstrated by fabricating 3D structures made of two and three silicon layers, including suspended beams that are 40 nm thick, 500 nm wide, and 4 μm long, and patterned lines that are 33 nm wide. A method for additive layer-by-layer fabrication of 3D Si micro- and nanostructures is reported. The fabrication is based on alternating chemical vapor deposition of Si and local implantation of gallium ions by focused ion beam (FIB) writing. In a final step, the defined 3D structures are formed by etching the silicon in KOH, in which the local ion implantation provides the etching selectivity. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.