Abstract
This paper reports on an alternative nanolithographic technique for bulk micromachining of silicon. We show how to selectively etch Si(110) in aqueous KOH solutions using electron-beam-induced nanomasking. Already nanometre thin carbonaceous films can completely suppress the wet anisotropic chemical etching of Si performed in alkaline solution (10 wt% KOH + 5 wt% isopropanol). It is shown that under optimized conditions, this approach can be exploited for the fabrication of three-dimensional micro-and nanostructures.