Electron-beam-induced patterning of thin film arsenic-based chalcogenides

Abstract Amorphous chalcogenides in contact with silver possess a remarkable sensitivity to radiation and have therefore been widely investigated. The present study concentrates on an investigation of nanometer dimension silver lines that can be formed by scanning a focused electron beam across the surface of As 2 Se 3 /Ag and As 2 S 3 /Ag films. The influence of different parameters, such as film thickness, silver content and exposure conditions, has been systematically studied. It was found that the width and height of these lines depend strongly on the accelerating voltage and the deposition order. The best width-to-height ratio could be obtained for As 2 Se 3 /Ag films of ca. 100 nm thickness at an accelerating voltage of 15 kV.