Self assembled nano wires

形成工程纳米结构是纳米技术领域的主要挑战。有一个普遍的共识，这种结构应该形成自组装，在MEMS和微电子学中采用的控制光刻方法相比。在这个项目中，我们打算形成自组装的纳米线，并研究控制自组装的基本机制。我们已经通过实验表明，等离子体沉积的二氧化硅在退火时由于残余应力而可能开裂。我们成功地通过简单的化学镀在裂纹中形成纳米线，镍与基底结合形成横向尺寸约为100 nm的纳米线。导线的长度可以是几微米。因此，获得自组装纳米线的网络。在这个为期一年的项目中，我们计划研究控制导线尺寸的参数，以便将其宽度减少到20 nm。电和机械性能也将被调查，以探索任何尺寸效应，由于限制。这项研究可能对纳米电子学领域产生相当大的影响，并将增强对纳米线的力学行为及其输运性质的基本理解。

Forming engineered nanostructures is a major challenge in the field nanotechnology. There is a general agreement that such structures should be formed by self assembly, in contrast to controlled lithographic approach adopted in MEMS and micro electronics. In this project, we intend to form self assembled nano-wires, and investigate the underlying mechanics that govern the self assembly. We have shown experimentally that plasma deposited silicon di-oxide may crack when annealed due to residual stress. We successfully formed nano wires by simply depositing (electroless) Nickel in the cracks.Nickel bonds with the substrate and forms wires with lateral dimension of around 100nm. The length of the wires can be several micro meters. Thus a network of self-assembled nanowires is obtained. In this one-year project, we plan to study the parameters that govern the dimension of the wires in order to reduce their width to 20nm. The electrical and mechanical properties will also be investigated to explore any size effect due to confinement. The study may have a considerable impact on the field of nano-electronics, and will enhance fundamental understanding of the mechanical behavior of nano-wires and their transport properties.