Focused ion beam (FIB) milling of diamonds has been investigated in various ways to create desired structures on diamonds, but not much research has been reported on the effects of crystal orientation, i.e. {100}, {110} and {111} of diamonds on FIB milling. In our previous work, it was noted that focused ion beam milling may develop preferred etched directions related to the crystal orientation of crystalline diamonds. In order to further investigate the phenomenon, a focused beam of 30 kV Ga+ ions was utilized to generate various patterns on different crystallographic planes of single crystalline diamonds. The morphology of milled patterns has been monitored with various ion currents to find the relationship between crystal orientations of diamonds and their impacts on FIB milled patterns. The work showed significant differences in deformation among different crystal orientations of the single crystal diamond, and the largest area of milling in {111} crystallographic planes.

Recently, a wide range of new applications of diamond materials such as spintronics, field emission, and bio-sensing have been proposed. These applications often require the precise patterning of diamonds, which is not trivial because diamonds are the hardest materials known in nature. Among various patterning techniques, the focused ion beam milling method has been proven to provide flexibility as well as high resolution in the pattern design. In this study, a focused beam of 30 kV Ga+ ions was utilized to create sub-micrometer size patterns out of crystalline diamonds. The sputtering rate, re-deposition, and surface roughening of diamond structure have been closely monitored with various milling parameters during the milling process. Our study revealed a low milling yield of 0.02 μm3/nC, high Ga content re-deposition, and the formation of sub-micron scale terracing on the sidewall of patterned diamonds.

Tetramethyl ammonium silicate (TMAS) is known as a structuring agent in zeolite synthesis. We report its first use to prepare porous silica films for low k dielectric applications in microelectronics. A solution of TMAS 18.7 wt. % was spin coated on silicon substrates with a 3000 Å thick thermal oxide. The spin coated films were subsequently heat-treated at 450°C to obtain porous silica. The use of TMAS solution without gelation led to films of only moderate porosity value of 10%. The addition of methyl lactate, a gelling agent, significantly increased film porosity and improved the pore size distribution. For example, 50% porosity and uniform pore size distribution (average pore size ∼ 40 Å) has been achieved. Dielectric constants (k) of our porous films are as low as 2.5.

The phase relations and microwave dielectric properties of (1−x)ZnNb2O6–xTiO2 were investigated using x-ray powder diffraction and a network analyzer. Four phase regions were studied with increasing TiO2 mol% (x): columbite solid solution, ixiolite (ZnTiNb2O8) solid solution, mixture of ixiolite and rutile solid solutions, and rutile solid solution. It was suggested that the microwave properties depend on crystal structure rather than chemical composition. In the columbite solid solution region, an order–disorder transition was found with an increasing amount of TiO2, and the quality factor decreased sharply. ZnTiNb2O8 (x = 0.5), has a fully disordered structure and possesses a quality factor of 42,500, relative dielectric constant (εr) of 34.3, and temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) of −52 ppm/°C. In the mixture region of ixiolite and rutile structure, τf was modified to around 0 ppm/°C.