Single-crystal metal growth on amorphous insulating substrates

Abstract

Metal structures on insulators are essential components in advanced electronic and nanooptical systems. Their electronic and optical properties are closely tied to their crystal quality, due to the strong dependence of carrier transport and band structure on defects and grain boundaries. Here we report a method for creating patterned single-crystal metal microstructures on amorphous insulating substrates, using liquid phase epitaxy. In this process, the patterned metal microstructures are encapsulated in an insulating crucible, together with a small seed of a differing material. The system is heated to temperatures above the metal melting point, followed by cooling and metal crystallization. During the heating process, the metal and seed form a high-melting-point solid solution, which directs liquid epitaxial metal growth. High yield of single-crystal metal with different sizes is confirmed with electron backscatter diffraction images, after removing the insulating crucible. Unexpectedly, the metal microstructures crystallize with the [Formula: see text] direction normal to the plane of the film. This platform technology will enable the large-scale integration of high-performance plasmonic and electronic nanosystems.