The developments over the last decade in Focused Ion Beam (FIB) instrument technology have reached a point where there is sufficient control of an ion beam to make cuts, trenches, and other shapes in a sample on a scale of tens of nanometers. This work concentrates on the use of an FIB instrument for making superconducting devices. It is shown for the first time that planar-bridge (Nb/Cu/Nb) Superconductor/Normalmetal/Superconductor (SNS) junctions can be reliably fabricated using a standard FIB instrument. This is demonstrated by the responses of junctions to microwaves and magnetic fields; the junctions display the appropriate Josephson behaviour demanded by current technological applications. In addition, the reproducibility in junction behaviour (the variation of critical current is approximately 10%) is the best so far observed for this type of junction. The SNS junction fabrication method has been successfully extended for making high-density SNS junction arrays, dc-SQUIDs, and related devices. A simple model is devised to explain the normal-state resistance and critical current of a junction. The model is based on the geometry of a junction as defined by the FIB instrument and the film deposition. The model is mostly successful in qualitatively explaining many of the geometrical factors that affect the electrical properties of the junction. Nb/Cu/Nb junction series arrays, made using an FIB instrument, are also successfully fabricated. The yield of the junctions forming small arrays is found to be similar to the yield of single junctions. For the series arrays studied here, new observations have been made: the electrical properties of an array have been found to be dependent on the spacing of the junctions and the number of junctions in the array. This work also investigates the thermal properties of SNS and micron-scale superconductor/insulator/normal-metal junction based devices for use in bolometer device based applications. It is shown that self-heating raises the temperature of the junctions significantly above their operating temperatures. For a device sitting on a low thermally conductive membrane, it is found that the effects of heating, or cooling, in the junctions are exaggerated.

Holes with different sizes from microscale to nanoscale were directly fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in this paper. Maximum aspect ratio of the fabricated holes can be 5:1 for the hole with large size with pure FIB milling, 10:1 for gas assistant etching, and 1:1 for the hole with size below 100 nm. A phenomenon of volume swell at the boundary of the hole was observed. The reason maybe due to the dose dependence of the effective sputter yield in low intensity Gaussian beam tail regions and redeposition. Different materials were used to investigate variation of the aspect ratio. The results show that for some special material, such as Ni-Be, the corresponding aspect ratio can reach 13.8:1 with Cl₂ assistant etching, but only 0.09:1 for Si(100) with single scan of the FIB. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

On InGaAs/AlInAs heterostructures we made nanowires which were made by focus ion beam (FIB) and the width of nanowires making by FIB were 40nm¡B70nm¡B100nm and 200nm respectively. we studied electronic characterization of nanowires using Shubnikov-de Haas(SdH).In our research,by using SdH method there are no signal in our sample which processed by FIB,then we changed to process technology in our sample.For example: Increase thickness of the protection layer,size of change channel,etc.

This research presents grating photoresist structures by imprint and focused ion beam (FIB) techniques. Imprint technique is not limited to the physical properties of optical lithography. In the imprinting process, the quartz mold designed for imprinting process is fabricated by focused ion beam techniques to imprint photoresist (SU-8). To select imprint temperature of resist by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and several kind of pressure are tested and evaluated for imprint. In this study, trichloro(1H, 1H, 2H, 2H- perfluorooctyl)silane (PFOTCS) are used for self-assembled monolayers (SAM) on mold as releasing and anti-sticking layer for nanoimprint. We use contact angle system to discuss the surface energy of any contact surface. The results demonstrated that the resist surface revealed the lower defect and roughness after separation of imprinting mold with SAMs of PFOTCS monolayer, ascribed to the PFOTCS monolayer with a large amount of -CF2 resulted in lower surface energy. This research has successfully defined 50~400 nm width resist features on the mold and transferred to the polymer after imprinting.

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Focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) is a tool commonly used for applications including preparation of site-specific transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples, nanotomography, and electronic circuit edit. Another potential application is optical device prototyping; however, the ion beam itself has been shown to cause damage fatal to device operation. This thesis first includes several examples of FIB-fabricated optical devices that had limited functionality compared to simulation. Second, the underlying causes of ion beam-induced optical damage from gallium and xenon ion sources is characterized. Monte Carlo simulations of ion-solid interactions were confirmed using TEM analysis to measure the thickness of the damaged layer. For crystalline samples such as silicon, Raman response can be used as a measure of lattice damage. Using these techniques, it was found that optical damage from a gallium beam is more severe than from a xenon beam, and occurs in the form of lattice amorphization and implantation of beam ions. This damage hinders optical coupling by altering the physical and electronic structure of the sample. Consequently, the xenon PFIB is a better choice for optical device prototyping. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The second half of the 20th century saw the advent of nanotechnology, both in the context of understanding the structure of the natural world beyond the limit of light microscopy, as well as manipulating materials to create useful microscopic devices, including the computers ubiquitous in today’s life. One technology that has contributed to today’s nano-centric paradigm is the focused ion beam/scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM). The FIB/SEM is used to machine materials with extreme precision for many diverse applications such as modifying microcircuits, three-dimensional (3D) nanotomography, or to prepare samples for other microscopy techniques. For some applications, however, damage to the sample from the ion beam can be fatal. New ion sources have become available in the past ten years that may cause less damage to samples, and thus open up new applications for FIB. This thesis includes first a description of a series of optical devices prototyped using FIB. This is followed by a comparison of the damage induced by the conventional liquid gallium ion source and new xenon plasma ion sources, and a discussion of the relative merits of the ion sources for optical device fabrication.

Aluminum-nickel (Al-Ni) alloys and Al/Ni bilayers were successfully electrodeposited from AlCl3-EMIM-NiCl2 electrolyte at room temperature. Dissolution of NiCl2 was shown to be favorable in Lewis basic (with molar ratio of AlCl3 < 0.5) AlCl3-EMIM solution. The use of electrochemically active Cu working electrode as opposed to inert W induced additional Cu oxidation and dissolution in the cyclic voltammetry scan. The reduction potentials of Al and Ni were found to be ~ – 0.3 and 0.15 V vs. Al/Al3+ respectively. Increasing [NiCl2] in the electrolyte leads to an increase of Ni concentration in the deposited structures. Dense and well-adherent Al-Ni alloys with Ni concentration up to 17.7 at.% were deposited by potential control. XRD analysis revealed that the deposited Al-Ni exhibit a supersaturated fcc crystalline structure. The visual appearance of the deposits ranged from bright silver, dull silver, grey, to black, where the darker shade typically indicated higher Ni content. SEM analysis revealed that the surface morphology of the deposits ranged from nodular to flake-like structures. Al-Ni alloy typically showed nodular morphology with cauliflower structure. Flake structures, which were independent of substrate roughness, were found to develop under pulsed potential deposition with 1:1 duty ratio. The concentration of Ni in electrodeposited Al-Ni alloys increases nonlinearly with the increase in molarity of NiCl2. Al and Ni contents increase with increasing the time of positive and negative cycle of the pulse respectively. Decreasing the frequency by half resulted in almost double the amount of Ni in the deposited alloy. A smoother substrate increased Ni concentration from 6 to 17.7 at.%. Al/Ni bilayer was successfully deposited in 1.5:1 AlCl3-EMIM containing 0.026 M NiCl2. Deposition of Al on Ni was achieved using constant potential and pulse potential control. The deposition of Ni on Al is complicated since the deposition potential of Ni lies in the vicinity of Al stripping potential thus inducing competition between Ni deposition and Al stripping.

FIB is currently the economic methods to produce nano-structure below 100nm. In the past, FIB manufactures nano-structure patterns also unsatisfactory. In this study, the influence of twice deposited mask layer on the aspect ratio of nano-structure and verticality of side wall contour was discussed. The single mask layer is used for pattern transfer. Pattern distortion may occur during etching due to several factors like improper parameter setting, limitation of machine table, etc. The most common situations are aciculate and salient shape on the top and angle of slope which is too big to be vertical. In order to improve above-mentioned situations, a mask layer of multi-deposition was designed to protect the side wall so that it could retard etching. In addition to modifying verticality of side wall, the aspect ratio could be raised indirectly because the second deposition had reduced the interval between patterns. In the aspect of using machine table, the first mask layer, chromium, which was deposited by the sputtering machine. And the etching pattern was directly written on the first mask layer by focused ion beam. The silicon was uncovered at etched place, and then the second mask layer, silica (SiO2), which was deposited by the sputtering machine. The surface contour was directly covered with silica layer. Right after that, the top and bottom of silica were removed through vertical etching by inductively coupled plasma machine. The silica on the side wall of structure was retained to protect the side wall and raise aspect ratio. Eventually, the silicon was etched by the same way of inductively coupled plasma machine that it was researched on the difference in etching gas. And there was a comparison between chlorine and fluorine gases. After optimizing parameters, the nano-structure was made under 100nm.

Wide band gap semiconductors ZnO/GaN attracted a great deal of interests for decade, due to their wide direct band, high electron binding energy, excellent chemical and thermal stability, good heat conductivity and capability, high electron mobility and transparent properties at room temperature. They have many potential applications such as laser, biosensor, piezoelectric power generator, nano-electromechanical systems and flat panel field emission displays. However, unexpected contact loading during processing or packaging may induce residual stresses and/or an increase in defect concentration in ZnO/GaN wafer or thin film, causing possible degenerated reliability and efficient operation of the piezoelectric and photonic device. To ensure and improve the performance of devices based on ZnO/GaN, a better understanding of the mechanical/optoelectronic response under different processing and loading conditions and even the measuring methods are necessary. In this thesis, our aim is to reveal a comprehensive investigation of the mechanical responses on polar/non-polar GaN/ZnO single crystal under low dimensional stress. We try to provide the fundamental theoretical and experimental studies for further application and researches, such as tension testing, residual stress, low temperature cathodoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy analysis. In this study, the theoretical Young¡¦s modulus and Poisson ratio of ZnO/GaN are extracted from elastic constants for comparison and further estimation. The nano-scaled mechanical properties, such as Young¡¦s modulus, hardness and yield stress, are identified by using the nanoindentation system. The experimental values were fitting by the Hertzian contact theory. The results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. No significant strain rate influence is observed over the strain rate from 1x10-2 s-1 to 1x10-4 s-1. The comparisons of mechanical properties between the polar and non-polar planes of ZnO are firstly examined. The results reveal that the non-polar planes are softer than the polar plane. Both a-plane and m-plane ZnO have lower hardness and yield stress than c-plane ZnO. The microstructure and deformation mechanism are analyzed by using X-TEM and SEM. No pop-out or slope changing was found in their load-displacement curves, suggesting no phase transformation, twining or crack domain deformation occurred under microcompression and nanoindentation testing. Taking all considerations for the higher resulting Schmid factor and lower Burgers¡¦ vector, the most possible slip system for c-plane hexagonal structures is the pyramidal plane. The a-plane has shorter burger¡¦s vector on the slip plane which leads the lower yield stress than c-plane. To erase the effect of FIB induced Ga ion implantation, the c-plane ZnO was annealed at 900oC for 1 hour. We found that the yield stress under microcompression decreases and the intensity of the cathodoluminescence spectrum increases after the annealing process. This result indicates that the thermal treatment is a good way to refine the crystal quality and decrease the defects density. The E2 peak of Raman spectrometer exhibits high residual compression stress constrain in the c-plane GaN thin film. Due to the high surface/volume ratio of pillar, nil residual stress remains in the GaN pillar after the FIB milling process. Even after the yield point, nil residual stress remains in the c-GaN pillar. Results indicate that the one dimensional geography is a good way to erase residual stress.

Ubiquitous concerns in device fabrication are nanoscale positioning and the integration of complex combinations of diverse materials, many of which are extremely fragile. Frequently the completed device requires one or more of the constituent materials to be synthesized under suboptimal conditions, thus compromising the performance of the final structure. We have developed a platform to fabricate multi-component electrode cross-bar structures, where each material can be synthesized under its own ideal conditions. Furthermore, surface treatments and procedures that may otherwise be incompatible can be performed without concern of damage to the other constituent materials. We demonstrate our approach by fabricating an all carbon cross-bar electrode structure comprised of a graphene-graphite heterojunction. Initially, a graphene field effect transistor is fabricated using electron beam and optical lithography. The top graphite electrode is sculpted from a bulk piece of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite with the aid of a focused ion beam (FIB) and integrated micromanipulator system. This requires real-time shaping, cutting, accurate positioning (circa 100 nm precision) and wiring of the graphite top electrode. Electron transport characteristics of each electrode component and the final heterostructure have been measured. We show that this process is effective for the production of micron and submicron-scale multi-layer device structures including other materials such as gold. This fabrication scheme could be extended to produce novel structures such as mechanical resonators, and provide a foundation for combining fragile materials that have otherwise been incompatible with traditional fabrication techniques. / Graduate