Communications Research Laboratory, Inc.

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Incorporated

Ryuzo Ohmukai

Masayoshi Watanabe

An atomic lithography apparatus for depositing atoms included in an atomic beam on a substrate to manufacture an periodic atomic structure, comprising an atomic oven having a pin hole, a collimator for collimating an atom gas effused from the atomic oven to generate an atomic beam, four lasers for irradiating laser beams on the atomic beam to control the spreading angle of the atomic beam, two lasers for forming an optical standing wave at a part of a space in which the atomic beam is propagated, an electro-optic element for controlling the phases of the optical standing wave for controlling the propagation direction of the atomic beam, an electro-optic element drive device for controlling a voltage applied to the electro-optic element to control a refraction index of the electro-optic element, and a control device for controlling the electro-optic element drive device.

Atomic lithography apparatus using electro-optic effect and method of manufacturing atomic structure

The surface of a substrate having a transmission index is irradiated with a beam of atoms having a slow enough velocity to be adsorbed on the substrate. A laser beam whose frequency is detuned by 1 to 10 gigahertz from the resonant frequency of the atoms is projected onto the substrate at an angle, producing total reflection. The atom beam is reflected at regions at which an intensity of an evanescent wave emitted at this time from the substrate surface is high, and adsorbed at regions where the intensity is low, thereby achieving atomic fabrication patterns on a substrate. By using a hologram image to create the pattern, it is possible to form an atomic fabrication patterns in which the size of features correspond to the diameter of the laser beam, enabling the size to be reduced to the diffraction limit of the laser light.

Method of forming a fine pattern

An atomic beam control apparatus controls a position of an atomic beam that passes through a multi-pole magnetic field by irradiating the atomic beam with a light beam. The apparatus includes a probe light generator to generate probe light to detect a position of the atomic beam, a light sensor to receive the probe light, and a current control section to control a current flowing in multi-pole magnetic field generating electrodes controlling the position of the atomic beam. The light beam irradiates the atomic beam so that the atomic beam interacts with both the light beam and the magnetic field, and the position of the atomic beam is controlled by controlling currents fed to the multiple-pole magnetic field generating electrodes based on output values of the light sensor receiving the probe light.

Growing community of inventors

Koganei, Japan

Ryuzo Ohmukai