Plowing on the Sub-50 nm Scale: Nanolithography Using Scanning Force Microscopy

A new nanolithography technique based on mechanical surface deformation with the tip of a scanning force microscope is reported here. In the lithographic step, the furrow is dynamically plowed into the substrate (see Figure). The pattern transfer is then carried out in a separate wet chemical etching step, thus preserving the tip. The technique can provide linewidths as narrow as 20 nm.