CMOS-Compatible Top-Down Fabrication of Periodic SiO2 Nanostructures Using a Single Mask

We propose a CMOS-compatible top-down fabrication technique of highly-ordered and periodic SiO2 nanostructures using a single amorphous silicon (α-Si) mask layer. The α-Si mask pattern is precisely transferred into the underlying SiO2 substrate material with a high fidelity by a novel top-down fabrication. It is the first time for α-Si film used as an etch mask to fabricate SiO2 nanostructures including nanoline, nanotrench, and nanohole arrays. It is observed that the α-Si mask can significantly reduce the pattern edge roughness and achieve highly uniform and smooth sidewalls. This behavior may be attributed to the presence of high concentration of dangling bonds in α-Si mask surface. By controlling the process condition, it is possible to achieve a desired vertical etched profile with a controlled size. Our results demonstrate that SiO2 pattern as small as sub-20 nm may be achievable. The obtained SiO2 pattern can be further used as a nanotemplate to produce periodic or more complex silicon nanostructures. Moreover, this novel top-down approach is a potentially universal method that is fully compatible with the currently existing Si-based CMOS technologies. It offers a greater flexibility for the fabrication of various nanoscale devices in a simple and efficient way.