Combined AFM and laser lithography on hydrogen-passivated amorphous silicon

We report a novel combination of AFM lithography and laser direct writing on hydrogen-passivated amorphous silicon surfaces to fabricate combined silicon milli-, micro- and nanostructures. Selective oxidation is performed by focusing a laser beam (λ=458 nm) on a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface, forming the millimetre-size contact pads for connection of nanometre-scale patterns. The nanostructures are made by electric-field-enhanced oxidation using a contact mode AFM equipped with a metal-coated tip. Both techniques are based on selective oxidation of hydrogen-passivated amorphous silicon, where the oxide is used as an etch mask in a single etch step. The lithographic process has also been demonstrated using a reflection mode scanning near-field optical microscope with an uncoated fiber probe.