Exposure of self-assembled monolayers to highly charged ions and metastable atoms

The doses of neutral metastable argon atoms (Ar*) and highly charged xenon ions (HCIs) required to damage self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiolates on gold are compared in a set of experiments carried out concurrently. The extent of damage to the SAM is determined by developing the samples in a gold etching solution, then measuring the decrease in reflectivity of the gold; ≈105 Ar* are required to cause the same amount of damage as 1 HCI, as measured by this assay. We have also demonstrated HCI micropatterning of a surface using a physical mask, suggesting the application of this system in lithography.