Chemical Approach to Nanofabrication: Modifications of Silicon Surfaces Patterned by Scanning Probe Anodization

Scanning probe microscope-induced local oxidation of a material surface with adsorbed water is a recent nanolithographic technology. We applied this technique to the nanoscale patterning of hydrogen-terminated silicon (Si-H) surfaces. Using the silicon oxide (SiO x ) patterns as masking, examples of two types of pattern transfer method through area-selective chemical modification were demonstrated. Nanostructures of substrate Si or deposited gold were fabricated by wet chemical etching or electroless plating, respectively. These area selectivities arose from the difference in surface chemical reactivities between anodic SiO x and the surrounding Si-H. The oxidation chemistry is discussed in terms of anodization.