Spontaneous nanoripple formation on metallic templates.

Nanoripple structures spontaneously formed at room temperature during chemical and electrochemical deposition of metals, semiconductors, and alloys on gold and copper templates, patterned with nanocavities, have been studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Annealing the templates at approximately equal to 373 K also results in ripple formation. Both experimental results and modeling, including anisotropic surface diffusion, demonstrate that nanocavity size in the template determines the ripple wavelength and amplitude, prior to a final stage of coarsening. Therefore, an ordered array of "nanodefects" introduced in the substrate is able to guide the self-organization of these nanofeatures during their growth, creating the possibility for nanofabrication of parallel interconnections with adjustable periodicity. Ripples are robust nanostructures that can in turn be used as templates for the preparation of hybrid nanostructured surfaces with specific physical properties.