NANOSTRUCTURE FABRICATION VIA LASER-FOCUSED ATOMIC DEPOSITION

Nanostructured materials and devices will play an important role in a variety of future technologies, including magnetics. We describe a met hod for nanostructure fabrication based on the use of laser light to f ocus neutral atoms. The method uses neither a mask nor a resist, but r elies-on the direct deposition of atoms to form permanent structures. Since the atomic de Broglie wavelength is of picometer order, the size of structures produced is not significantly limited by diffraction, a s in optical lithography. Lines as narrow as 38 nm full width at half maximum spaced by 213 nm have been produced and we have demonstrated t he production of a two-dimensional array of dots. The highly parallel process of nanostructure formation and the intrinsic accuracy of the o ptical wavelength that determines structure spacing suggest a number o f interesting applications, including calibration standards for variou s types of microscopy, lithography, and micromeasurement systems. Poss ible magnetic applications include the production of arrays of magneti c elements, laterally structured giant magnetoresistive devices, and t he patterning of magnetic media.