Fabrication of metal nanowire using carbon nanotube as a mask

We report on the fabrication of metal nanowires on an insulating substrate using carbon nanotubes as a new kind of mask material. By irradiating Ar+ i ons of 300 eV energy on a nanotube-coated Au/Ti thin layer on a SiO2 substr ate, Au/Ti nanowires were successfully formed just underneath the nanotube, indicating that the carbon nanotubes had acted as a good mask against the argon ion bombardment, The Au/Ti wire of a few nanometers in width was freq uently observed among the wires of various widths, After the formation of t he Au/Ti nanowires, the carbon nanotube on the metal nanowire could be remo ved by atomic force microscope. (C) 2000 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-21 01(00)07404-2].