Abstract
In this study, we used a conductive Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) probe to fabricate nanostructures and nanopatterns on a silicon chip using nano-oxidation technology. The height of grown oxidized nanodots tends to increase as the piezoelectric loading in nano-oxidation increases, while the number of oxidized nanodots affects the height of oxidation. In terms of patterning, the height and width of nanodots tend to decrease as the probe scanning speed increases. Moreover, in this study, we used nano-oxidation to perform complex nanopatterning, and found that complex and well-defined nanopatterns could be fabricated on a scale of 1000 x 1000 nm(2). The technology proposed in this study can directly define nanostructures without limitations of the wavelength of the light source and light diffraction. The technology has the advantages of low cost and great potential for development. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics