Atomic calligraphy: the direct writing of nanoscale structures using a microelectromechanical system.

We present a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) based method for the resist-free patterning of nanostructures. Using a focused ion beam to customize larger MEMS machines, we fabricate apertures with features less than 50 nm in diameter on plates that can be moved with nanometer precision over an area greater than 20 × 20 μm(2). Depositing thermally evaporated gold atoms though the apertures while moving the plate results in the deposition of nanoscale metal patterns. Adding a shutter positioned micrometers above the aperture enables high speed control of not only where but also when atoms are deposited. With this shutter, different-sized apertures can be opened and closed selectively for nanostructure fabrication with features ranging from nano- to micrometers in scale. The ability to evaporate materials with high precision, and thereby fabricate circuits and structures in situ, enables new kinds of experiments based on the interactions of a small number of atoms and eventually even single atoms.