Fabrication of regular arrays of gold nanospheres by thermal transformation of electroless-plated films

Rectangular lattices of gold nanospheres have been fabricated by thermally annealing Au nanopillars and nanocylinders deposited via electroless plating onto indium-tin-oxide glass substrates in a novel method. The substrates were patterned using e-beam lithography, and particle size and shape were controlled by adjusting the thickness of the poly(methylmethacrylate) mask, e-beam power, and electroless plating parameters. Nanostructures produced by this electroless plating method exhibited greater coalescence than sputtered gold films. Attachment of electroless-plated structures to indium-tin-oxide substrates was stable to stringent thermal, solvent, and electromagnetic exposures. This facile and versatile method is applicable to the fabrication of regular metal nanoparticle array platforms for improved optical and plasmonic features in sensing and imaging devices. (C) 2010 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3432122]