Large-Scale Nanorods Nanomanufacturing by Electric-Field-Directed Assembly for Nanoscale Device Applications

A fast and highly scalable room-temperature nanomanufacturing process for fabricating metallic nanorods from nanoparticles for applications such as interconnects and sensors is presented. Metallic nanoparticles are precisely assembled into prefabricated vias by applying a controlled dynamic electric field between the electrodes at the bottom of the vias and a counter electrode placed far away from the vias. The nanoscale vias are fabricated employing conventional electron-beam nanolithography. The dimension of the fabricated nanorods is controlled by the size of the vias and assembly parameters such as the amplitude and frequency of the applied electric field. The mechanism of the assembly process is discussed by examining the effect of the applied voltages on the assembly process to provide a fundamental understanding for scaling down to nanoscale dimensions. This room-temperature aqueous fabrication process is environmentally friendly and can be used to make nanorods using different types of metallic particles.