Gas-assisted focused-ion-beam lithography of a diamond (100) surface

A focused Ga-ion beam is used to conduct lithography on a diamond (100) surface with the assistance of various gases (Cl-2, O-2, and XeF2). The beam-induced dilation and sputtering of the surface are measured by atomic force microscope. The dilation is found to be insensitive to the presence of assisting gases at low doses, while the sputtering is enhanced by O-2 and XeF2 at high doses. The topographic evolution as a function of the ion dose is well described by a proposed semiempirical equation. Combining physical sputtering and XeF2-assisted etching, the lithographic process has been used to fabricate submicron structures on diamond surfaces. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02943-5].