Electron beam lithography on non-planar, suspended, 3D AFM cantilever for nanoscale thermal probing

Abstract

Electron beam lithography (EBL) on non-planar, suspended, curved or bent surfaces is still one of the most frequently stated problems for fabricating novel and innovative nano-devices and sensors for future technologies. Although spin coating is the most widespread technique for electron resist (e-resist) deposition on 2D or flat surfaces, it is inadequate for suspended and 3D architectures because of its lack of uniformity. In this work, we use a thermally evaporated electron sensitive resist the QSR-5 and study its sensitivity and contrast behaviour using EBL. We show the feasibility of utilizing the resist for patterning objects on non-planar, suspended structures via EBL and dry etching processes. We demonstrate the integration of metal or any kind of thin films at the apex of an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip. This is showing the great potential of this technology in various fields, such as magnetism, electronic, photonics, phononics and other fields related to near field microscopy using AFM probe like for instance scanning thermal microscopy.