Fabrication of gold nanowires on insulating substrates by field-induced mass transport

A method for the fabrication of nanometer size gold wires on insulating sur faces is presented. An oscillating gold-coated atomic force microscope tip is brought into close proximity of a silicon dioxide surface. The applicati on of a negative sample voltage produces the transport of gold atoms from t he tip to the surface. The voltage is applied when there is a tip-surface s eparation of similar to3 nm. The finite tip-surface separation enhances the tip lifetime. It also allows the application of sequences of multiple volt age pulses. Those sequences allow the fabrication of continuous nanowires. The atomic force microscope gold deposition is performed at room temperatur e and in ambient conditions which makes the method fully compatible with st andard lithographic techniques. Electron transport measurements of the wire s show a clear metallic behavior. Electrical resistivities of similar to 3x 10(-7) Omega m and current densities of up to 5x10(11) A m(-2) are reported . (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.