Proximal probe lithography

Research Laboratories in 1981, researchers began to investigate the application 

Proximal probes are defined as tools in which a tip is held close to or in intimate contact with a surface so that there is an interaction between the atoms on the tip and the substrate. The most widely used proximal probes include the STM, in 

Whitesides and J.C. Love, The art of building small, Sci. Am. Reports 17(3), 13 21 (2007). C.R.K. Mairian, Ed., Technology of ProximalProbe Lithography, SPIE Optical Engineering Press, Bellingham, WA (1993). 

McCord and R.E.W. Pease, High resolution, low voltage probes from a field emission source close to the target plane, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 3, 198 (1985). 

In STM hthography, the tip-to-sample separation is adjusted to maintain a constant current of approximately 0.003-3 nA between the tip and the sample. The tip-to-sample current is fed into the circuitry that drives the piezoelectric transducer, which in turn controls the tip height. Lateral piezoelectric transducers 

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Marrian CRK (1993) Technology of proximal probe lithography. SPIE, Bellingham... 

There are several challenges that must be addressed before proximal probe lithography can make the transition into mainstream lithographies. The most... 

E.A. Dobisz, F.K. Perkins, and M.C. Peckerar, E beam and proximal probe processes for nano lithography, in Microlithography Science and Technology, J.R. Sheats and B.W. Smith, Eds., p. 737, Marcel Dekker, New York (1998). 

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