Fabrication of metal nanowire using carbon nanotube as a mask

We report on the fabrication of metal nanowires on an insulating substrate using carbon nanotubes as a new kind of mask material. By irradiating Ar+ ions of 300 eV energy on a nanotube-coated Au/Ti thin layer on a SiO2 substrate, Au/Ti nanowires were successfully formed just underneath the nanotube, indicating that the carbon nanotubes had acted as a good mask against the argon ion bombardment. The Au/Ti wire of a few nanometers in width was frequently observed among the wires of various widths. After the formation of the Au/Ti nanowires, the carbon nanotube on the metal nanowire could be removed by atomic force microscope.