Lithographically patterned nanowire electrodeposition

Abstract

Abstract Lithographically Patterned Nanowire Electrodeposition (LPNE) is a new nanofabrication technique in which photolithography is used to define the position of electrodeposited nanowires on the surface of a dielectric such as glass or oxidized silicon. In LPNE, a resist‐covered nickel film with a thickness of beween 6 and 100 nm is photopatterned. After development of the resist, the exposed nickel is dissolved in nitric acid under conditions that produce an “undercut” at the resist edges. This undercut functions as a horizontal trench into which metals (e.g., Au, Pt, Pd) can be electrodeposited using the exposed nickel edge present within this trench. As this trench is filled during electrodeposition, a nanowire with a precisely defined height and width is formed along the entire perimeter of the photoresist. LPNE nanowires can have minimum dimensions of 6 nm (h) x 20 nm (w) and lengths of more than 1 cm. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)