Method of creation of nanogaps between metallic (Au) thin-film electrodes using additional evaporation of metal film on relatively wide preliminary created gap is elaborated and realized. A technique of electrodes "overhanging" by dry etching of a substrate is suggested and realized. Optimal etching parameters are found as well. A technique of limitation of the region for additional metal deposition by special additional PMMA mask with narrow window along line of gaps is suggested and realized. It allows a minimization of probability of parasitic gap shunting. It is shown that elaborated method permits iterative approach to prescribed size of a gap by both decreasing of the gap width by deposition of additional metal on the walls of a wide gap and reconstruction of a gap by electromigration in the case of closing of the gap due to excessive metal deposition. Samples with gap's width less than 10 nm were obtained by such reconstruction of a gap.

Date Published: 29 April 2008
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7025, Micro- and Nanoelectronics 2007, 70250P (29 April 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.802415

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7025:
Micro- and Nanoelectronics 2007
Kamil A. Valiev; Alexander A. Orlikovsky, Editor(s)