A nanostructure fabricated using EBID

A team of physicists funded by FEI Company and the Australian Research Council have unveiled new physics behind the nanofabrication technique known as electron beam induced deposition (EBID), essentially 3D printing at the molecular level.

The UTS team has reported new insights into the behaviour of molecules at surfaces to achieve extraordinary improvements in speed and the quality of materials fabricated using the EBID technique.

Using the UTS FEI laboratory and an advanced research grade electron microscope the scientists have been able to explain the nature of chemical reactions on hot, solid surfaces and to "write" highly pure nanostructures.

The UTS experiments have led to the discovery that the EBID technique performs optimally under conditions previously dismissed as ineffective, due to gaps in prior understanding of the basic science behind EBID.