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Ionic liquid gating of SrTiO$_3$ lamellas fabricated with a focused ion beam

In this work, we combine two previously-incompatible techniques for defining electronic devices: shaping three-dimensional crystals by focused ion beam (FIB), and two-dimensional electrostatic accumulation of charge carriers. The principal challenge for this integration is nanometer-scale surface damage inherent to any FIB-based fabrication. We address this by using a sacrificial protective layer to preserve a selected pristine surface. The test case presented here is accumulation of 2D carriers by ionic liquid gating at the surface of a micron-scale SrTiO$_3$ lamella. Preservation of surface quality is reflected in superconductivity of the accumulated carriers. This technique opens new avenues for realizing electrostatic charge tuning in materials that are not available as large or exfoliatable single crystals, and for patterning the geometry of the accumulated carriers.