US5210425A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Etching of nanoscale structures
Assignee: EIDP Inc
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Filing: 1991-08-30
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Granted: 1993-05-11
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Expires: 2011-08-30
Abstract
Abstract A process for etching with an atomic force microscope using a two-dimensional metal chalcogenide as the substrate, is disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Edward J. Delawski
- 👤 Bruce A. Parkinson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 06:01
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/004; G03F7/0042; G03F7/0043; G11; G11B; G11B9/00; G11B9/12; G11B9/14; G11B9/1463; B; B82; B82B; B82B3/00; G01; G01Q; G01Q80/00; H; H01; H01J; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/30; H01J2237/317; H01J2237/3174; H01J2237/31747; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S977/00; Y10S977/84; Y10S977/849; Y10S977/855; Y10S977/856
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
56 words
A process for etching a nanoscale structure using an atomic force microscope comprising scanning the microscope tip over a two dimensional substrate of at least one metal chalcogenide at a force of from about 10 -12 to about 10 -6 newtons to generate the controlled ablation of one or more molecular layers of the metal chalcogenide.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
56 words
A process for etching a nanoscale structure using an atomic force microscope comprising scanning the microscope tip over a two dimensional substrate of at least one metal chalcogenide at a force of from about 10 -12 to about 10 -6 newtons to generate the controlled ablation of one or more molecular layers of the metal chalcogenide.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein a single molecular layer is ablated.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 1 wherein more than one molecular layer is ablated simultaneously.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the metal chalcogenide comprises InSe, ZrS 2 , TiSe 2 , SnSe 2 , SnS 2 , NbSe 2 , TaS 2 , MoSe 2 , or WSe 2 or solid solutions thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 4 wherein the metal chalcogenide comprises SnSe 2 , NbSe 2 , SnS 2 , or TaS 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a layered material prepared by molecular beam epitaxy wherein at least one portion of the top layer is a two dimensional metal chalcogenide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 6 wherein the metal chalcogenide comprises InSe, ZrS 2 , TiSe 2 , SnSe 2 , SnS 2 , NbSe 2 , TaS 2 , MoSe 2 , or WSe 2 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the structure etched can be viewed simultaneously with its creation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the depth of the etched structure is controlled to a precision of (0.0003 ×n) nanometer, wherein n is the number of layers etched.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the substrate remains free of deformation or residue.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the structure etched has a bottom surface that is atomically flat.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
10 words
The etched structure resulting from the process of claim 1.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
37 words
A method for determining small deviations from stoichiometry comprising scanning with an AFM a substrate area of known size, counting the resulting nucleation sites, and subtracting the number of nucleation sites from the number of atoms scanned.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
37 words
A method for determining small deviations from stoichiometry comprising scanning with an AFM a substrate area of known size, counting the resulting nucleation sites, and subtracting the number of nucleation sites from the number of atoms scanned.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-05-10 | 1996-11-09 | 1997-05-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-05-10 | 2000-11-09 | 2001-05-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-05-10 | 2004-11-09 | 2005-05-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |