Approaching the resolution limit of nanometer-scale electron beam-induced deposition.

We report the writing of very high resolution tungsten containing dots in regular arrays by electron beam-induced deposition (EBID). The size averaged over 100 dots was 1.0 nm at fwhm. Because of the statistical spread in the dot size, large and small dots are present in the arrays, with the smallest having a diameter of only 0.7 nm at fwhm. To date these are the smallest features fabricated by EBID. We have also fabricated lines with the smallest having a width at fwhm of 1.9 nm and a spacing of 3.2 nm.