Three-Dimensional Crystalline, Homogenous, and Hybrid Nanostructures Fabricated by Electric Field Directed Assembly of Nanoelements

Abstract

A variety of homogeneous or layered hybrid nanostructures are fabricated by electric field-directed assembly of nanoelements. The nanoelements and the fabricated nanostructures can be conducting, semi-conducting, or insulating, or any combination thereof. Factors for enhancing the assembly process are identified, including optimization of the electric field and combined dielectrophoretic and electrophoretic forces to drive assembly. The fabrication methods are rapid and scalable. The resulting nano structures have electrical and optical properties that render them highly useful in nanoscale electronics, optics, and biosensors.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 666,181 filed Jun. 29, 2012 and entitled “NANOSCALE INTERCONNECTS AND COMPOSITE THREE-DIMENSIONAL NANOSTRUCTURES FABRICATED BY ELECTRICAL FIELD DIRECTED ASSEMBLY OF NANOELEMENTS”, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]The invention was developed with financial support from Grant No. 0832785 from the National Science Foundation. The U.S. Government has certain rights in the invention.BACKGROUND[0003]The precise assembly of nanoscale materials in a desired location and orientation on surfaces makes it possible to fabricate various types of novel structures and devices (Baughman et al., Science, vol. 297, pp. 787-792, 2002; Daniel and Astruc Chem. Rev., vol. 104, pp. 293-346, 2004; Huang et al., Adv. Mater., vol. 21, pp. 4880-4910, 2009). Nanoparticles are model nanoscale b...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent text discusses a method for increasing the speed, amount, or degree of formation of nanostructures by using an electric field to assemble nanoelements. The method involves increasing the electric field used for assembly, decreasing the frequency of the AC component of the field, increasing the force acting on the nanoelements, increasing the concentration of nanoelements, decreasing the size or density of the via in which the nanoelements are assembled, and increasing the size of the nanoelements. These techniques can help to improve the speed and accuracy of nanostructure formation.

Problems solved by technology

In these assembly processes, the two electrodes required for applying an electric field are usually on the same substrate or very close to each other (order of microns), making the fabrication techniques unsuitable for specific applications such as interconnects in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) based devices (International Technology Roadmap For Semiconductors 2007 Edition Interconnecf.

However, the process provided no control over the length of the nanorods, impeding the potential use of the rods in sensors and CMOS interconnect applications.

However, these high temperature processes are not compatible with CMOS technology (Maury et al., Adv.

For local vertical interconnects, the methods that have been carried out are not highly scalable.

Previously available directed assembly techniques have not demonstrated the ability to make solid homogeneous or hybrid crystalline nanostructures with nanoscale precision, and also do not enable assembly of larger diameter (e.g., 200 nm or above) nanostructures with nanoscale precision, or the assembly of nonconducting nanoparticles.

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