One-Step Nanoscale Patterning of Silver Nanowire-Nitride Heterostructures Using Substrate-Assisted Chemical Etching

Nanoscale etching and patterning of noble metals such as copper, silver, and gold are extremely difficult to achieve due to the low volatility of group 11 metal compounds. Here, we introduce a method of nanoscale chemical etching that involves reactions between H2O adsorbates and N radicals generated from electron-beam-induced etching (EBIE) of a hexagonal boron nitride or AlN substrate to achieve efficient and highly localized chemical etching of Ag nanowires and the underlying substrate. The volatilization of noble metal nanowires by radical species generated during EBIE of the underlying substrate represents a new class of EBIE reactions, which we term substrate-assisted chemical etching.