Combined laser and atomic force microscope lithography on aluminum: Mask fabrication for nanoelectromechanical systems

A simple, flexible, and resistless mask fabrication technique for the definition of nanoelectromechanical devices is presented. Atomic force microscope (AFM) lithography was used to locally oxidize laser-defined Al masks, and the oxidized regions were removed. The combination of AFM and laser writing is advantageous because it is much faster than using AFM alone and it reduces wear of the AFM tip, while still ensuring mechanical and electrical integrity of the fine AFM written structures and the larger scale laser written patterns.