Preferential Growth of Carbon Nanotubes/Nanofibers Using Lithographically Patterned Catalysts
Abstract
In order to utilize the full potential of carbon nanotubes/nanofibers, it is necessary to be able to synthesize well aligned nanotubes/nanofibres at desired locations on a substrate. This paper examines the preferential growth of aligned carbon nanofibres by PECVD using lithographically patterned catalysts. In the PECVD deposition process, amorphous carbon is deposited together with the nanotubes due to the plasma decomposition of the carbon feed gas, in this case, acetylene. The challenge is to uniformly nucleate nanotubes and reduce the unwanted amorphous carbon on both the patterned and unpatterned areas. An etching gas (ammonia) is thus also incorporated into the PECVD process and by appropriately balancing the acetylene to ammonia ratio, conditions are obtained where no unwanted amorphous carbon is deposited. In this paper, we demonstrate high yield, uniform, clean' and prefrrential growth of vertically aligned nanotubes using PECVD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADP012143
Entities
People
- G. A. Amaratunga
- G. Pirio
- K. B. Teo
- M. Chhowalla
- W. I. Milne
Organizations
- University of Cambridge