Method of using nitrogen based compounds to reduce contamination in beam-induced thin film deposition

A method of depositing a material on a work piece surface, comprising:

• providing a deposition precursor gas at the work piece surface;
• providing a purification compound including a nitrogen-containing compound at the work piece surface;
• and
• directing a beam toward a local region on the work piece surface, the beam having a spot size on the work piece surface of less than one micrometer, the beam causing decomposition of the deposition precursor to fabricate a deposit on the work piece surface, the deposited material including a contaminant, the purification compound causing a reduction in the concentration of the contaminant yielding a deposited material that includes less contamination than a material deposited using the same methodology but without using a purification compound, the purification compound not causing a reduction in the deposition rate obtained using the same methodology but without the purification compound;
• in which the temperature of the work piece is maintained near room temperature while forming the deposit.

A method of processing a work piece using a focused beam, comprising:

• providing a nitrogen-containing etch precursor gas at the surface of a work piece;
• and
• directing a focused particle beam toward a local region on the work piece, the beam having a spot size on the work piece surface of less than one micrometer, the beam inducing a reaction between the nitrogen-containing etch precursor gas and the work piece material to etch the surface, the nitrogen-containing etch precursor gas causing less oxidation in the work piece than using the same methodology but without using a nitrogen-containing etch precursor gas;
• in which the temperature of the work piece is maintained near room temperature while etching the surface of the work piece.