Realization of aligned three-dimensional single-crystal chromium nanostructures by thermal evaporation

Abstract

Aligned three-dimensional single-crystal chromium nanostructures are fabricated onto a silicon substrate by thermal evaporation in a conventional thermal evaporator, where the incident angle of Cr vapor flux with respect to the substrate surface normal is fixed at 88°. The effects of the deposition time and incident angle on the morphology of the resulting nanostructures are investigated. The achieved Cr nanostructures are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and surface area measurement. This study provides a convenient way to fabricate three-dimensional single-crystal Cr nanostructures, which is suitable for batch fabrication and mass production. Finally, the same technique is employed to fabricate the nanostructures of other metals such as Ag, Au, Pd, and Ni.