Scanning localized arc discharge lithography for the fabrication of microstructures made of carbon nanotubes

Abstract

A scanning localized arc discharge lithography (SLADL) technique has been developed in this work. The technique is based on the localized arc discharge generated between a sharp, biased conductive tip and the top surface of an oppositely biased aligned array of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The arc discharge corresponds to a localized passage of electric current through the aligned array of MWCNT via the tip, which resulted in localized truncation of the MWCNT. With controlled scanning of the tip with respect to the aligned array of MWCNT, a wide variety of microstructures have been created. The morphology and the microscopic structures of the remaining MWCNT forest were investigated in detail. It was found that the passage of electric current resulted in the truncation and unraveling of the nanotubes. The SLADL represents a simple and straightforward method for the fabrication of microstructures made of carbon nanotubes. © IOP Publishing Ltd.