Deposition

Removal

Modification

Material Versatility: Enabling Breakthroughs in Nanoscale Science

Direct-write deposition techniques provide a wide and gradually increasing array of material options, including metals, semiconductors, insulators, and advanced functional materials like superconductors and optically active plasmonic materials. By employing focused particle beams, these methods enable precise material placement, ensuring compatibility across various applications. This flexibility supports innovations in fields like nanoelectronics, quantum technology, superconductivity, microrobotics, advanced photonics or MEMS / NEMS. Whether it’s creating conductive pathways, magnetic elements, optical components, or high-performance superconducting circuits, direct-write deposition delivers unparalleled control and versatility at the nanoscale.

Literature

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Adapted from Pablo Orús et al., Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1367. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Pursuing Functionality: Purity vs. Functionality

Achieving targeted functionalities is a cornerstone of direct-write deposition technologies, as it determines the performance and reliability of fabricated structures. For some applications, such as plasmonics or superconductivity, impurity free materials are essential. While only a few precursors enable full purity after deposition, advanced hybrid approaches (lasers, additional gases) and post-growth treatments (e.g. H₂O assisted purification) can produce materials of the highest quality. These refinements ensure the deposition of materials with controlled chemistry, essential for cutting-edge scientific research and demanding industrial applications.