A New Technique to Produce Single Crystal Epitaxial Nano-Structures

We have used a combination of electron-beam lithography, reactive ion etching (RIE) and ion implantation to produce structures of oriented single-crystal cobalt disilicide buried beneath the surface of a silicon wafer. Basically, the fabrication process involves using a mask to confine the lateral extent of a cobalt implant while subsequent annealing of the material leads to the formation of an epitaxial silicide layer [1]. In this way we have made wires with linewidths varying from 1micron to 100 nm. Structural analysis of the wires has been accomplished by a combination of Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, SEM and TEM. The electrical properties have been investigated using both conventional transport techniques and electron-beam induced current measurements.