Brian Rodriguez's Group Reports Using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) to Machine Ferroelectric Nanocapacitors

AET Member Brian Rodriguez's Group of University College Dublin reports in the Journal of Applied Physics the fabrication of arrays of functional nanosized capacitors in a ferroelectric thin film by AFM. A common way to carve out nanostructures in ferroelectrics is focused ion beam (FIB), which results in ion implantation damage at the structure edges, limiting their size and functionality. They solved this problem using single crystal diamond tips which they found can quickly and easily remove material to create small functional nanostructures. Group member Fengyuan has presented her work at Soapbox Science and AETS2019 among other conferences. And she was recently profiled in Silicon Republic, Ireland’s leading science and technology news site.