Thin nanometric films play an important role in various fields of the modern material science and technology. 1� 2 In particular, the structure and properties of thin metal films deposited on non-metal surfaces are of considerable interest due to their potential applications in areas such as catalysis, photonics, single electron and quantum devices, plasmonics, solar cells, etc. 3� 4 An extraordinary variety of nanoscale morphologies can be obtained by a control of the parameters during the metal deposition process: rate, substrate temperature, time, angle of deposition, etc. In particular, oblique deposition is a physical vapour deposition technique (evaporation, sputtering, etc.) in which the incident atomic flux impinges the substrate from an oblique angle enhancing atomic shadowing creating an inclined columnar film nano- and microstructure. 5–22 By controlling the orientation of the incident angle � (the angle between the normal to the sample surface and the direction of impinging atoms), the columnar structure can be tailored with the range of control dependent on the material and deposition conditions. Using such a technique, uniquely shaped nanostructures can be produced: nanopillars, zigzag columns, spirals, slanted posts, branched nanocolumns, and multistack nanopillars. 5–22 Such structures find potential applications in photonic crystals, 23 magnetic storage devices, 24 field emitters, 25 pressure sensors, 26 and optical sensors. 27