Nanofabrication using a stencil mask

Abstract

We describe tests of a technique to fabricate nanostructures by the evaporation of metal through a stencil mask etched in a suspended silicon nitride membrane. Collimated evaporation through the mask gives metal dots less than 15 nm in diameter and lines 15–20 nm wide. We have investigated the extent of hole clogging and the factors which determine the ultimate resolution of the technique.