Controlled fabrication of DNA molecular templates for the deposition and electrical measurement of 1D metal nanowires

摘要: Stretched DNA nanowires (NWs) offer a convenient substrate for the fabrication and measurement of 1D metal NWs of width down to nm. So far the fabrication of the DNA templates has replied on somewhat random self-assembly processes. Here we demonstrate a process with high degree of control over the length, spacing, diameter, and orientation of the metal NWs: A one-step dewetting of a DNA solution on a PDMS stamp with an array of micropillars with well-defined pitch yields DNA NWs suspended across the micropillars along a chosen direction. The DNA NWs are then transferred via micro-contact printing onto a Si/SiO2/SiNx substrate with a lithographically fabricated trench defined by an opening in the SiNx layer and undercut in the SiO2 layer. The template with DNA NWs stretched across the trench is placed in a high-vacuum evaporator for metal deposition, resulting in a metal NW of width defined by …