Direct patterning of high density sub-15 nm gold dot arrays using ultrahigh contrast electron beam lithography process on positive tone resist

Ultrahigh density nanostructure arrays with controlled size and position have promised a variety of potential applications. However, their practical realization is often hindered by the amount of resources required for large-scale fabrication. Using an ultrahigh contrast electron beam lithography process, we show ultrahigh resolution and high aspect ratio patterning capability which can be done at an exposure dose lower than 100 μC cm−2. In particular, the high aspect ratio of dot arrays on 110 nm thick resist is confirmed by a standard lift-off process of 20 nm thick gold nanodots at sub-15 nm feature size and 40 nm pitch. The smallest gold nanodot size from our experiment is ∼11 nm.