Fabrication of a Nanoscale Electrical Thermometry Platform for 2D Materials

Nanoscale electrical thermometry is a technique for characterizing thermal properties of 2D materials. Fabrication of a nanoscale electrical thermometry platform requires the use of nanoscale processing techniques, such as electron beam lithography (EBL) and photolithography. In both processes, a polymer layer (resist) is deposited onto a semiconducting substrate. In EBL, a fine beam of electrons is used to write a pattern in the resist. EBL can get down to a resolution of 10 nm. In photolithography the pattern is formed by ultraviolet light passing through a mask. In both cases, exposure of the resist changes its solubility, and the exposed wafers are then processed to remove exposed portions of the resist to reveal the pattern. From there the pattern can be transferred to the substrate by etching (subtractive) or deposition (additive). We repeat this process multiple times to build the thermometry platform, which is then used to measure the thermal conductivity of 2D materials.