Nanoscale mechanical patterning for the selective deposition of nanostructures

In this paper, we describe a new method for creating nanostructures, and demonstrate its use by depositing Au, NJ, and Zn on a SiO₂ passivated Si substrate. The method combined the spatial control of electron-beam lithography with the ease of fabrication of self-assembled arrays. The technique enabled the selective electrochemical deposition of nanostructures by creating specific nucleation sites by nanoindentation. This offered the possibility of accurately creating nanostructures ranging in size from one to hundreds of nanometers. We showed that it is possible to electrically isolate the nanostructures from the substrate and each other by a thermal oxidation process. In principle, this technique allowed fabrication of quantum devices of any geometry.