In ERC-funded project B3YOND – “Beyond Nanofabrication via Nanoscale Phase Engineering of Matter”, we will develop a new nanofabrication methodology, using highly localized and tunable heat sources for crafting new artificial nanomaterials and devices for electronics and spintronics.
Nanoscale materials often exhibit intriguing and exotic properties not present in the same bulk materials. The explosion of nanomaterial characterisation techniques has significantly enhanced our understanding. In addition, the parallel development of nanofabrication techniques has enabled the practical realisation of numerous nanostructures and nanotechnologies. However, nanofabrication is facing physical limitations that pose a barrier to the continued downsizing of devices and practical applications that require exquisite control of nanoscale patterns and finely tuned physical properties. The EU-funded B3YOND project is developing a game-changing nanofabrication technique based on thermally assisted scanning probe lithography, and plans to use it to deliver novel artificial nanomaterials for 3D nanoelectronics and spintronics, ushering in a new era of nanotechnologies.