# US 11,444,234 B2 · Method for creating high-resolution micro- to nano-scale structures on flexible substrates

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- Number: US 11,444,234 B2
- Document ID: US11444234B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/716,179
- Filed: 2019-12-16
- Published: 2021-06-17
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-16
- Assignees: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy; of the Navy
- Applicants: The United States of America AS Represented By the Secretary of the Navy
- Inventors: Benjamin J. Taylor; Teresa H. Emery
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444234B2

## CPC

- H10N 60/0576: {characterised by the substrate}
- H10N 60/0688: {Etching}
- H10N 60/0884: {Treatment of superconductor layers by irradiation, e.g. ion-beam, electron-beam, laser beam or X-rays}
- B82Y 30/00: Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES

## Abstract

A method includes providing a film of a high-temperature superconductor compound on a flexible substrate, where a portion of the film has a first oxygen state, and exposing a portion of the film to a focused ion beam to create a structure within the film. The structure may result from the portion of the film being partially or completely removed. The structure may be a trench along the length or width of the film. The method may include annealing the exposed portion of the film to a second oxygen state. The oxygen content of the second oxygen state may be greater or less than the oxygen content of the first oxygen state.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising the steps of:
providing a film on a flexible substrate in an oxygen annealing chamber, the film comprising a high-temperature superconductor compound belonging to the class of compounds having a compositional form of R1-yMyBa2Cu3-zTzOx, where x is oxygen content and 6≤x≤7, wherein 0<y≤1, where 0<z≤1, where R comprises at least one of a rare earth and calcium, where M comprises at least one of a rare earth distinct from that of R and calcium if absent from R, where T comprises at least one of cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), wherein at least one portion of the film has a first oxygen state having an oxygen content that is approximately less than or equal to 6.72;
allowing the film to remain in-situ and pass from an oxygen annealing chamber into an ion milling chamber;
exposing the film directly to a focused ion beam, wherein the ion beam is configured to remove some or all portions of the film, allowing the film to form a functional structure;
passing the film back to the oxygen annealing chamber;
setting the film to a specific temperature and oxygen atmospheric pressure to achieve a final desired oxygen content.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of exposing the film directly to a focused ion beam comprises exposing the film directly to an ion flood gun and a masked film.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the step of exposing the film directly to an ion flood gun and a masked film comprises exposing the film directly to an ion flood gun and a lithographically hard-masked film.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of annealing the exposed portion of the film to a second oxygen state, wherein an oxygen content of the second oxygen state is greater than the oxygen content of the first oxygen state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of annealing the exposed portion of the film to a second oxygen state, wherein an oxygen content of the second oxygen state is less than the oxygen content of the first oxygen state.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the structure is a micro-structure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the structure is a nano-structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the film comprises two or more discrete regions each having a different oxygen state having a different oxygen content.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the trench is disposed along one of the length and the width of the film.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the trench has a width of 1 mm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the trench has a depth of between about 325 nm and about 500 nm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing a film on a substrate comprises:
growing the film on the substrate in an atmospheric chamber having a first oxygen atmospheric pressure, where x≅7;
applying a uniaxial pressure to the film and the substrate; and
annealing the film at a second oxygen atmospheric pressure, wherein the second atmospheric pressure is less than the first oxygen atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the film is annealed until a linear thermal gradient appears across the film.