Fabrication of uniform and high resolution copper nanowire using intermediate self-assembled monolayers through direct AFM lithography

Abstract

Electrochemical AFM lithography was used to directly fabricate copper nanowires. The copper ions were strongly reduced by a negative sample bias at the point where the AFM tip was localized, and copper metal wires were successfully fabricated following the direction of the electrical field of the bias. A TDA⋅HCl self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was found to play an important role as an intermediate layer for enhancing the capability of high resolution and complete development after the AFM lithographic process. The physical and electrical properties of the wires were analyzed by AFM, EFM, SEM, TEM and I–V measurement. The fabricated copper has promising potential for applications such as masks and interconnectors for nanoelectronic devices.