Generic nano-imprint process for fabrication of nanowire arrays
Aurélie Pierret, Moïra Hocevar, Silke L Diedenhofen, Rienk E Algra, E Vlieg, Eugene C Timmering, Marc A Verschuuren, George W G Immink, Marcel A Verheijen and Erik P A M Bakkers
Nanotechnology 21 issue 6 (2010) 065305

Abstract:
A generic process has been developed to grow nearly defect-free arrays of (heterostructured) InP and GaP nanowires. Soft nano-imprint lithography has been used to pattern gold particle arrays on full 2 inch substrates. After lift-off organic residues remain on the surface, which induce the growth of additional undesired nanowires. We show that cleaning of the samples before growth with piranha solution in combination with a thermal anneal at 550 °C for InP and 700 °C for GaP results in uniform nanowire arrays with 1% variation in nanowire length, and without undesired extra nanowires. Our chemical cleaning procedure is applicable to other lithographic techniques such as e-beam lithography, and therefore represents a generic process.