Chromium lines as a nanoscale length standard
Chromium lines and dots made by laser-focused atomic deposition can be used as a highly
accurate nanoscale length standard. Because the spacing, or pitch, of the deposited chromium
features is governed by the location of the nodes of a laser beam, and because the laser beam
is precisely locked to an atomic resonance, the pattern has potential as a highly accurate pitch standard.
To examine the overall accuracy of such a standard, we have carried out an uncertainty analysis
for the average pitch of a one-dimensional Cr sample on sapphire. To verify that this uncertainty
analysis is reasonable, we also conducted a series of high-precision diffraction measurements using
the Cr lines as a grating to diffract 351.1 nm argon ion laser light. The uncertainly analysis
resulted in an expected pitch of (212.7705 ± 0.0049) nm, and the diffraction measurements
yielded an average pitch of (212.7777 ± 0.0069) nm, demonstrating that pitch standards with
absolute uncertainties of a few parts in 105 are possible with this technique
[EPG Pub #738].
Accuracy of Nanoscale Pitch Standards Facbricated by Laser-Focused Atomic Deposition
Jabez J. McClelland - NIST
Robert J. Celotta - NIST
Online: March 1996
Last Updated: February 2008
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