SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF ELECTRON BEAM INDUCED PROCESSING
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for methods and systems for making structures using an electrospray system while under vacuum. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure provide for methods and systems for ultra-fast growth of high aspect ratio nano/meso/micro-structures with three dimensional topological complexity and control of phase and composition of the structure formed.
1 . A system comprising:
an electron beam system for generating an electron beam,
a substrate, wherein the electron beam system is configured to direct the electron beam to a first area on the substrate,
an electrospray system for directing a liquid onto the substrate to form a liquid film on the substrate, and
a compartment housing the substrate, wherein the compartment is under a vacuum, wherein the electrospray system is configured to deliver the liquid in the compartment house under vacuum, wherein the electron beam is transmitted in the compartment under vacuum.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum is a pressure of 10 −6 to 30 Torr.
3 . The system of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the electrospray system includes an electrospray capillary tip.
4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the electrospray capillary tip has an orifice diameter of about 1 to 5 μm.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrospray system has a liquid delivery rate of about 1 nL/s to 100 nL/s.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electron beam has an energy of about 0.3 to 40 keV with a current of about 1 pA to 1 μA.
7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an electric field to induce electrospray, wherein the electric field is applied relative to the ground electrode of the electrospray system and is about 500 V/mm to 1500 V/mm.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the electrospray system includes two or more electrospray capillary tips, wherein each electrospray capillary tip independently directs the liquid onto the substrate, wherein the liquid from each electrospray capillary tip is the same or different.
9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature control element to control temperature of the substrate.
10 . A method, comprising:
forming a liquid film by electrospray using an electrospray system on a substrate in a vacuum; directing an electron beam into a first area of the liquid film, wherein the electron beam is transmitted to the liquid film in the vacuum; and one or both of:
forming a first structure, wherein the liquid film includes a first liquid, wherein the first structure is formed in the first area from the interaction of the electron beam with the first liquid, and forming a second structure, wherein the liquid film includes a second liquid, wherein the second structure is formed by etching with the second liquid and the electron beam, wherein the when second liquid contains an acid.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the electrospray system includes two or more electrospray capillary tips, wherein each electrospray capillary tip independently directs one of the first liquid or the second liquid onto the substrate, wherein the liquid from each electrospray capillary tip is the same or different.
12 . The method of claim 10 , including: forming the first structure and further comprising: etching the first structure through the interaction of the electron beam and a third liquid, wherein the third liquid contains an acid.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: forming a third structure, wherein the third structure is formed in a second area from the interaction of the electron beam with the first liquid, wherein the first area and the second area are not the same.
14 . (canceled)
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16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the first structure includes a growth rate of about 0.1 μm 3 /s to about 10 μm 3 /s.
17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the vacuum is a pressure of 10 −6 to 30 Torr.
18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the liquid film has a thickness of about 10 nm to 1 μm and has a width is about 10 μm to 10 mm.
19 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising controlling the thickness of the liquid film, wherein controlling includes: controlling the spreading of the liquid, controlling the evaporation of the liquid, controlling the rate of liquid delivery, and a combination thereof, and optionally wherein controlling includes: adjusting an electrospray bias of the electrospray capillary tip used to form the liquid film, adjusting a distance between the electrospray capillary tip from the liquid film, or a combination thereof.
20 . (canceled)
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27 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the structure is selected from the group consisting of: a pillar, a bridge structure, an overhang structure, a suspended cantilever, a hollow volcano-like fiber, a wall-like structure, a porous 3D scaffold, a scaffold, and suspended grid array of interconnected lines.
28 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the electron beam has an energy of about 0.3 to 40 keV with a current of about 1 pA to 1 μA, and wherein the electrospray capillary tip is about 1 mm to 10 mm away from the substrate.
29 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising: applying an electric field to induce electrospray applied relative to the ground electrode of the electrospray system is about 500 V/mm to 1500 V/mm.
30 . (canceled)
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