Ice-assisted electron beam lithography of graphene

We demonstrate that a low energy focused electron beam can locally pattern graphene coated with a thin ice layer. The irradiated ice plays a crucial role in the process by providing activated species that locally remove graphene from a silicon dioxide substrate. After patterning the graphene, the ice resist is easily removed by sublimation to leave behind a clean surface with no further processing. More generally, our findings demonstrate that ice-assisted e-beam lithography can be used to pattern very thin materials deposited on substrate surfaces. The procedure is performed in situ in a modified scanning electron microscope. Desirable structures such as nanoribbons are created using the method. Defects in graphene from electrons backscattered from the bulk substrate are identified. They extend several microns from the e-beam writing location. We demonstrate that these defects can be greatly reduced and localized by using thinner substrates and/or gentle thermal annealing.