Highly Ordered Chevron-Shaped Arrays of Continuous Copper Nano-Dot Lines Formed by Electroless Deposition on Hydrogen-Terminated Si(111) Surfaces

Abstract

We have succeeded in forming highly ordered chevron-shaped arrays of continuous copper nano-dot lines by electroless deposition on hydrogen-terminated Si(111) (H-Si(111)) surfaces. Detailed investigations have shown that tiny Cu clusters are preferentially formed at step edges when the electroless deposition is carried out in a deoxygenated neutral aqueous solution of a low Cu2+ concentration (less than 10 microM) with pH approximately = 7. This finding was combined with highly ordered step-edge lines on H-Si(111) prepared by the previously reported method of Teflon scratching and NH4F etching, which has led to the above success. The present result indicates that designed ordered metal nanowires can be produced by the electroless deposition method, using H-Si(111) surfaces with well-regulated step lines as a substrate.

Ex situ scanning tunneling microscopy study of Cu nanowires formed by electroless deposition at atomic‐step edges of flat Si(111) surfaces

“…These are in agreement with previous reports. [2,3,5,6] We find protrusions on the terraces in Fig. 1(a), which originate from defect sites on Si(111) terraces.…”