Electron Beam-Induced CVD of Nanoalloys for Nanoelectronics†

Among various multi-metal combinations, Au-Fe nanoalloys are envisaged as prospective materials for data storage applications. Here we report on the first successful achievement of Au-Fe nanoalloys using focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID), exploiting the possibility of directly writing nanostructures at nanometer resolution. Gaseous organometallic precursors are injected simultaneously into the deposition chamber to co-deposit Fe and Au within the same nanostructure. Fabricated nanostructures show a spatially uniform elemental ratio of iron to gold that can be tailored by experimental conditions.