Parallel nanodevice fabrication using a combination of shadow mask and scanning probe methods

We describe a resistless proximal probe-based lithography technique, which enables the direct patterning of complex and submicron-sized structures of various materials. The method is based on a combination of scanning probe microscopy and the shadow masking technique, whereby structures are locally deposited through pinhole-like apertures situated in the proximity of a cantilever tip. Predefined excursions of the sample lead to the direct fabrication of arbitrary structures on the surface. Complex patterns such as rings and intersecting lines with linewidths well below 0.1 μm are presented.