Selective growth of Co islands on ion beam induced nucleation centers in a native Si[O.sub.2] film

A simple straightforward method for fabrication of patterns of metallic nanostructures and the application of focused ion beam (FIB) lithography to locally modify a native Si[O.sub.2] layer on a silicon substrate are described. The results proposed that the island formation at patterned sites are due to reduced surface diffusion of Co atoms in the vicinity of FIB modified areas and the lowered kinetic diffusion limits improved the island morphology.