  A modified electron beam induced deposition method using a parallel beam of
electrons is developed. The method relies on the build-up of surface potential
on an insulating surface exposed to an electron beam. Presence of sharp edges
on the insulating surface implies presence of large electric fields that lead
to site-specific nucleation of metal vapor on those regions. Feature sizes as
small as 20 nm can be deposited without the need to use fine probes and thus
the limitation of probe size imposed on the resolution is overcome. The use of
pure metal vapor also renders the process inherently clean.
