Synthesis of Single Crystalline Tin Nanorods and Their Application as Nanosoldering Materials

Nanosoldering is a promising technique for nanoscale joining and interconnect formation for many newly emerging nanobuilding blocks and nanofabrication processes. In this study, single crystalline tin nanorods are synthesized by a simple, one-pot chemical reduction method assisted by sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant. The effect of surfactant concentration on the shape variation of tin nanostructures is investigated. The microstructure and the melting behavior of the tin nanorods are characterized. Interconnects of the tin nanorods, either in the form of randomly dispersed networks or dielectrophoretically assembled structures are formed on interdigitated gold electrodes. The I-V electrical properties showed that the contact resistance between nanorods can be significantly lowered by the soldering process. The results show that the tin nanorods are a promising candidate for nanoscale soldering applications.