Abstract
We report a simple method to fabricate metallic nanostructures by a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanomachining and subsequent lift-off process. By controlling the force of an AFM tip on a thin PMMA resist, nanoscale holes and grooves are first created. By coating a metal film and performing the lift-off process, metallic nanodots with a size of 70 nm and nanowires with a width of 75 nm are successfully fabricated. In addition, nanoelectrodes with a gap of around 50 nm are also produced by cutting a nanowire with the tip. The present method demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of using single-layer resist in AFM mechanical lithography instead of two-layer resist reported in the literature.