Growth of suspended carbon nanotube networks on 100-nm-scale silicon pillars

We investigated carbon nanotube growth by means of methane chemical vapor deposition on ultrafine silicon patterns prepared by synchrotron-radiation lithography. Grown nanotubes formed suspended bridges between pillars when pillar spacing was comparable to pillar height. Network-like interconnections were obtained on pillar arrays. Nearest-neighbor bridging accounted for more than 80% of all the bridging nanotubes. The self-directed growth between neighboring pillars may be explained by the swing of the nanotube cantilever which contacts a catalyst particle in liquid phase as the nanotube grows. These results confirm the possibility of self-assembled wiring of nanostructures. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.