Nanoscale lithography with electron exposure of sio₂ resists

We report on electron-beam patterned hydrocarbon residues on silicon dioxide as chemical initiators in high temperature HF vapor etching for the production of nanolithographic masks (^ 20 nm feature size). These are of utility in reactive ion etching based pattern transfer to the underlying substrate and, potentially, as dielectric components in nanoscale devices. Metallic cobalt, deposited through the oxide mask, has been used to generate 12-20 nm wide lines of cobalt suicide.