Alloy multilayers and ternary nanostructures by direct-write approach

The fabrication of nanopatterned multilayers, as used in optical and magnetic applications, is usually achieved by two independent steps, which consist in the preparation of multilayer films and in the successive patterning by means of lithography and etching processes. Here we show that multilayer nanostructures can be fabricated by using focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID), which allows the direct writing of nanostructures of any desired shape with nanoscale resolution. In particular, ${[{{\rm{Co}}}_{2}{\rm{Fe}}/{\rm{Si}}]}_{n}$ multilayers are prepared by the alternating deposition from the metal carbonyl precursors, ${{\rm{HFeCo}}}_{3}{({\rm{CO}})}_{12}$ and ${\rm{Fe}}{({\rm{CO}})}_{5}$, and neopentasilane, ${{\rm{Si}}}_{5}{{\rm{H}}}_{12}$. The ability to fabricate nanopatterned multilayers by FEBID is of interest for the realization of hyperbolic metamaterials and related nanodevices. In a second experiment, we treated the multilayers by low-energy electron irradiation in order to induce atomic species intermixing with the purpose to obtain ternary nanostructured compounds. Transmission electron microscopy and electrical transport measurements indicate that in thick multilayers, (n = 12), the intermixing is only partial, taking place mainly in the upper part of the structures. However, for thin multilayers, (n = 2), the intermixing is such that a transformation into the L21 phase of the Co2FeSi Heusler compound takes place over the whole sample volume.