| abstract |
A method for fabricating thin film nanostructures is provided. A layer of material on a substrate is mechanically displaced using an atomic force microscopy tip. The displacement is carried out in a fluid containing molecules which rapidly enter the void created by the AFM tip and bind to the clean substrate surface. These molecules are spatially confined in the void created by the displacement and form inlaid structures within the surrounding material. The surrounding material can be removed to create islands of the new material. The method is particularly adapted for use in fabricating nanometer-scale microelectronic devices. |