Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia

UniversitÁ Degli Studi Di Genova

Andrea Toma

Liberato Manna

Roman Krahne

Ugo Valbusa

Corrado Boragno

Sergio Marras

Mirko Prato

Karol Miszta

Fanny Greullet

Francesco Buatier De Mongeot

Daniele Chiappe

Milena Arciniegas

We describe a method for patterning of colloidal nanocrystals films that combines a high energy beam treatment with a step of cation exchange. The high energy irradiation causes cross-linking of the ligand molecules present at the nanocrystal surface, and the cross-linked molecules act as a mask for the subsequent cation exchange reaction. Consequently, in the following step of cation exchange, the regions that have not been exposed to beam irradiation are chemically transformed, while the exposed ones remain unchanged. This selective protection allows the design of patterns that are formed by chemically different nanocrystals, yet in a homogeneous nanocrystal film.

Masked cation exchange lithography

A method is for the synthesis of an array of metal nanowires (w) capable of supporting localized plasmon resonances. A metal film (M) deposited on a planar substrate (D) is irradiated with a defocused beam of noble gas ions (IB) under high vacuum, so that, with increasing ion doses a corrugation is produced on the metal film surface, formed by a mutually parallel nanoscale self-organized corrugations (r). Subsequently, the height of the self-organized corrugations peaks is increased relative to the valleys (t) interposed therebetween. Then the whole the metal film is eroded so as to expose the substrate at the valleys, and to mutually disconnect the self-organized corrugations, thereby generating the array of metal nanowires. Finally, the transversal cross-section of the nanowires is reduced in a controlled manner so as to adjust the localized plasmon resonances wavelength which can be associated thereto. The nanowires array constitutes an electrode of an improved photonic device.

Method for the synthesis of an array of metal nanowire capable of supporting localized plasmon resonances and photonic device comprising said array

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Genoa, Italy

Andrea Toma