The focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID)
process was
used by employing a GeminiSEM with a beam characteristic of 1 keV
and 24 pA to deposit pillars and line-shaped nanostructures with heights
between 9 nm and 1 μm and widths from 5 nm to 0.5 μm.
All structures have been analyzed to their composition looking at
a desired Si/O/C content measuring a 1:2:0 ratio. The C content of
the structure was found to be ∼over 60% for older deposits
kept in air (∼at room temperature) and less than 50% for later
deposits, only 12 h old. Upon depositing Si(OEt)4at high
rates and at a deposition temperature of under 0 °C, the obtained
Si content of our structures was between 10 and 15 atom % (compositional
percentage). The FEBID structures have been deposited on Au(111)/SiO2. The Au(111) was chosen as a substrate for the deposition
of Si(OEt)4due to its structural and morphological properties.
With its surface granulation following a Chevron pattern and surface
defects having an increased contribution to the changes in the composition
of the final structure content, the Au(111) surface characteristic
behavior at the deposition of Si(OEt)4is an increase in
the O ratio and a reduction in the nanodeposit heights.