Carbon nanostructures on silicon substrates suitable for nanolithography

We report the application of vertically grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for submicron and nanolithography. The growth of CNTs is performed on silicon substrates using a nickel-seeded plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method at a temperature of 650 degrees C and with a mixture of C2H2 and H-2. The grown CNTs are encapsulated by a titanium-dioxide film and then mechanically polished to expose the buried nanotubes, and a plasma ashing step finalizes the process. The emission of electrons from the encapsulated nanotubes is used to write patterns on a resist-coated substrate placed opposite to the main CNT holding one. Scanning electron microscope has been used to investigate the nanotubes and the formation of nano-metric lines. Also a novel approach is presented to create isolated nanotubes from a previously patterned cluster growth. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.