[labnetwork] Ebeam evaporation - arcing between features

[Geil, Bob]

Hello labnetwork,

 I have a user that is fabricating some electrodes and has observed what appears to be arcing between the sharp points of the electrodes. Imagine features like this:  > < where the distance between them is 2um - 8um. The substrate is quartz. Fabrication approach is 1) ebeam lithography 2) ebeam evaporation and 3) lift-off.

After EBL development, the electrode circuit is open, as intended
After evaporation +lift-off, there is a line about few 100nms wide that is shorting the electrodes: >-<
There is not a short between the electrodes with the 8um gap, however, there are some metal lines extending from the two sides:  >-  -<

All of this suggests that arcing is occurring.  Has anyone observed this before and can you suggest ways to get around it?

Thanks,
  Bob


Bob Geil, PhD
Technical Director • CHANL
Dept. of Chemistry • UNC-CH
Chapel Hill, NC



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