Writing nanometer-scale pits in sputtered carbon films using the scanning tunneling microscope

A reproducible method of the formation of pits in a sputtered carbon surfac e with a platinum-iridium tunneling tip is presented for possible use in li thography or data storage applications. Thin carbon films are sputtered on top of chrome and gold metallic underlayers on a silicon substrate. Overall surface roughness of the carbon films is under 3 Angstrom. Holes are produ ced in the carbon film by applying short voltage pulses (4-8 V in height, 2 50 ns-100 mu s in length) across the tunneling gap. An array of holes writt en in the carbon demonstrate reproducibility and the feasibility of using t his multilayered structure in a data storage system. (C) 1999 American Inst itute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)00923-7].