Submicron structures of the charge-density-wave conductor NbSe3

We have lithographically patterned small wire structures into a 0.35 mu m t hin crystal of the charge-density-wave (CDW) conductor NbSe3. Voltage-probe spacings down to 0.5 mu m have been realized. Electrical transport measure ments show that the electron-beam patterning process has not degraded the N bSe3 material of the structures. Both the resistivity and the threshold fie ld for CDW sliding agree with reported data on thin unpatterned crystals. T he wire structures permit the study of mesoscopic CDW transport. At the sho rtest length scales, first observations show a reduction of the phase-slip voltage and, below 50 K, strong fluctuations and hysteresis effects in the current-voltage characteristics.