We report the successful application of a new approach, ice
lithography (IL), to fabricate nanoscale devices. The entire IL
process takes place inside a modified scanning electron
microscope (SEM), where a vapor-deposited film of water ice
serves as a resist for e-beam lithography, greatly simplifying
and streamlining device fabrication. We show that labile
nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes can be safely imaged in
an SEM when coated in ice. The ice film is patterned at high
e-beam intensity and serves as a mask for lift-off without the
device degradation and contamination associated with e-beam
imaging and polymer resist residues. We demonstrate the IL
preparation of carbon nanotube field effect transistors with
high-quality trans-conductance properties. The team is now
trying to improve the process by making 3D nanodevices and
adding etching clusters during fabrication. "We also need to
better understand the detailed mechanisms behind ice
lithography, about which we know very little." 11 page pdf IEEE