Ion-beam lithography by use of highly charged Ar-ion beam

In order to fabricate a nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) structure by using the ion-beam lithography (IBL), we tried to control the etching rate and the etching depth by means of the charge state, the beam energy, and the fluence of the ion beam. Ar-ion beams with E = 90 keV and 80 - 400 keV were irradiated onto spin on glass (SOG) and Si, respectively. The Ar ions were prepared by a facility built at the Kochi University of Technology, which included an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (NANOGAN, 10 GHz ). It was found that the irradiation of highly charged ions (HCIs) enhanced the etching rate of SOG. The etching rate and etching depth of Si were controlled by the beam energy and the fluence of Ar 4 + ions. The present results show the effectiveness of IBL with HCIs to fabricate a nanoscale 3D structure.