Atom lithography with ytterbium beam

Abstract

We successfully produced periodic ytterbium (Yb) narrow lines on a substrate using near-resonant laser light and the direct-write atom-lithography technique. The Yb atom is a promising material for nanofabrication using atom optics due to its electrical conductivity, the laser wavelength required for handling the atoms, the vapor pressure of the fabrication process, etc. The ¹⁷⁴Yb atoms collimated by Doppler cooling were channeled by the dipole force of an optical standing wave and then deposited onto a substrate. We clearly observed a grating pattern of Yb atoms fabricated on the substrate with a line separation of approximately 200 nm after examining the surface of the substrate with atomic force microscope. This is the first demonstration of nanofabrication using the atom-optical approach with Yb atoms.