SINGLE CRYSTAL DIAMOND NANOFABRICATION AND MODIFICATION THROUGH PROTON BEAM WRITING

Abstract

In this thesis, proton beam writing (PBW) was used to form a pattern in a resist material (e.g. HSQ), which was spin-coated on a Si or diamond substrate. After development, the resist pattern was employed as a mask to conduct reactive ion etching (RIE) to obtain Si or diamond nano-structures. Mie-scattering based structural coloration generated by Si or diamond nano-objects was demonstrated. In addition, a focused MeV proton beam was also applied to locally modify diamond properties for producing in bulk diamond structures. Moreover, buried nano-structures and arbitrary patterns were obtained inside diamond as well. Finally, PMMA nano-holes imprinted by diamond stamps using nano-imprinting lithography were presented. This work also exhibited Si nano-ridges featuring dimensions down to 18 nm fabricated via a combination of PBW and RIE. Furthermore, PMMA nano-channels imprinted by diamond stamps via nano-imprinting lithography were demonstrated, which exhibited structures consistent with those of diamond stamp patterns.