US4539089A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for depositing material with nanometer dimensions
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1984-06-29
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Granted: 1985-09-03
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Expires: 2004-06-29
Abstract
Abstract This method involves the deposition of free metal atoms (4) from the apex (5) of a pointed tip (1) supported at a distance of 10 to 20 nm from a substrate (2). The atoms (4) are being field-desorbed under the influence of a strong electric field existing between the tip (1) and the substrate (2). With the tip (1) being moved across the substrate (2), a narrow trace (6) of metal atoms will be deposited on the substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 Gerd K. Binnig
- 👤 Christoph E. Gerber
- 👤 Heinrich Rohrer
- 👤 Edmund Weibel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:46
CPC Classifications
B; B82; B82B; B82B3/00; B82Y; B82Y30/00; B82Y40/00; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/04; C23C14/048; C23C14/22; C23C14/24; H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/30; H01J37/317; H01J37/3178; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S430/00; Y10S430/143
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
Method for depositing material from a conductive tip onto the surface of a substrate, said tip being supported at a controlled distance shorter than 10 -8 m from said substrate, characterized in that said tip (1) is provided with free metal atoms (4) at its surface, the atoms (4) at the operating temperature of the tip (1) having a sufficiently large mobility to permit their movement versus the apex (5) of said tip (1), and that between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) a potential difference is maintained the level of which is sufficient to lead to field-desorption of said free metal atoms (4) across said distance between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) and to the deposition of said atoms (4) on said substrate (2).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
Method for depositing material from a conductive tip onto the surface of a substrate, said tip being supported at a controlled distance shorter than 10 -8 m from said substrate, characterized in that said tip (1) is provided with free metal atoms (4) at its surface, the atoms (4) at the operating temperature of the tip (1) having a sufficiently large mobility to permit their movement versus the apex (5) of said tip (1), and that between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) a potential difference is maintained the level of which is sufficient to lead to field-desorption of said free metal atoms (4) across said distance between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) and to the deposition of said atoms (4) on said substrate (2).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said tip is scanned across said substrate (2) so as to deposit a line (6) of metal atoms (4) on said substrate (2).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
Method in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the potential difference between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) is blanked to produce a discontinuous line (6) of metal atoms (4) on said substrate (4).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said tip (1) consists of tungsten.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the material to be deposited forms a surface layer on said tip.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
Method in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the material to be deposited is replenished by continuous evaporation onto said tip (1) at a location where interference with the field-desorption process is negligible.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
Method in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the material to be deposited is replenished by continuous sputtering onto said tip (1) at a location where interference with the field-desorption process is negligible.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the potential difference between said tip (1) and said substrate (2) is in the order of 2 V.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
Method in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said tip (1) is heated for the metal atoms (4) to have sufficient mobility at the surface of said tip (1).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
Method in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the material to be deposited is Gallium and that it forms a surface layer on said tip (1).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
Method in accordance with claims 5 and 9, characterized in that the material to be deposited is gold and that it forms a surface layer on said tip (1), which is heated to a temperature at which the gold has a mobility sufficient to move to the apex (5) of the said tip (1).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-09-02 | 1989-03-04 | 1989-09-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-09-02 | 1993-03-04 | 1993-09-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-09-02 | 1997-03-04 | 1997-09-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |