Protons, which are approximately 1800 times more massive than electrons, have deeper penetration in materials and travel in an almost straight path.
This feature allows the fabrication of three-dimensional, high-aspect-ratio structures with vertical, smooth sidewalls, and low line-edge roughness.
A further advantage stems from the ability of protons to displace atoms while traversing material, thereby increasing localized damage especially at the end of range.
P-beam writing is a new technology of great potential, and both current experimental data and theoretical predictions indicate that sub-10 nm 3D structuring is feasible.
However, the lack of a user friendly commercial instrument with a small footprint is currently holding back the potentially wide range of application fields in which p-beam writing could make a substantial impact.