Sub-50 nm nanopatterning of metallic layers by green pulsed laser combined with atomic force microscopy

Abstract

Pulsed-laser assisted nanopatterning of metallic layers on silicon substrates was investigated under an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. A 532 nm Nd:YAG laser with pulse duration of 7 ns and boron doped silicon tip was used. Nanopatterns like pit arrays and multilines were created with lateral dimensions between 10 and 15 nm and depths between 2.5 and 21 nm. The field enhancement factor under the tip, thermal expansion of the tip and the sample surface heating were investigated. It was proposed that the field enhancement mechanism was the dominating reason for the nanoprocessing.