Nanoscale patterning of self-assembled monolayers by e-beam lithography

The resolution of e-beam lithography in standard resists is limited by the size of the molecules in the resist. High resolution e-beam resists therefore should not only show a specific sensitivity to electrons but also be thin and composed of small subunits. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) fulfil these criteria because they are homogeneous, highly ordered films of amphiphilic molecules with a typical thickness of 1–2 nm and an intermolecular spacing of 1–0.5 nm. We demonstrate that gold nanostructures can be fabricated using aliphatic and aromatic thiol self-assembled monolayers as positive and negative electron beam resists.