Directional ion beam etching for nanodevice fabrication

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We request a directional ion beam source for fabrication of metal and oxide nanostructures and devices. This source will be incorporated in an existing system at Surface Science Lab at SFU that has two vacuum chambers with Auger and e-beam evaporation capabilities. Auger spectroscopy will be used for insitu monitoring of the composition of etched layers and e-beam evaporation will be used for covering nanostructures with a protective layer before exposing them to air. Etching systems with similar capabilities do not exist in 4D Labs at SFU, AMPEL at UBC, or at UVic; therefore, nanostructure fabrication must currently be done overseas. This process can take up to six months, which can be a serious issue for both MSc students and postdocs. This etching system will support four projects: 1) fabrication of magnetic nanopillars for the study of spin torque transfer, 2) design of magnonic crystals for transmission, storage, and processing of information using spin waves, 3) fabrication of solid state memory with phase-change materials, and 4) fabrication of lateral spin valves for magnetic sensors. Currently 10 students, 2 postdocs, and 4 faculty members collaborate on these projects. With the addition of the directional ion beam etching system we will be able to deposit, fabricate, and study complex metal/oxide nanostructures all at SFU.