BEACON

Modification techniques in direct-write nanomanufacturing provide a precise and site-selective means to tailor material properties at the nanoscale. By enabling controlled adjustments to mechanical, electronic, magnetic, or optical characteristics, these methods are essential for advancing next-generation technologies. Ion beams allow for direct material doping and property tuning, while electron-based processes offer possibilities from non-invasive refinement towards full chemical purification. Together, these approaches ensure high precision and versatility, addressing the increasing demand for functionalized nanostructures across a wide range of applications.

Although Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition (FEBID) is a truly powerful high-resolution fabrication technique, most as-grown structures contain high levels of carbon due to incomplete precursor decomposition. This often degrades – or even fully suppresses – their intended functionality, whether electrical, magnetic, optical, or catalytic. However, a versatile post-deposition treatment toolbox is available to address this issue, as summarized in the adjacent image. These methods include thermal annealing, electron- or laser-assisted curing, and in-situ purification in reactive gas environments. Together, they enable substantial tuning of material composition and functional properties. This not only allows transformation into fully metallic structures, but – more importantly – opens the pathway to precisely tailor materials toward their targeted functionality in global but also localized way, underscoring the transformative potential of post-growth optimization.