The use of ion-milling to control clustering of nanostructured, columnar thin films.

We present the use of ion-milling to reduce the capillary-induced clustering of vertical post nanostructures grown by glancing angle deposition. Nanostructures of several heights were grown and ion-milled for various times to investigate effects on post clustering. No clustering was observed given sufficient ion-mill exposure time, with the characteristic time being lower for shorter posts. The results demonstrate that these strengthened nanostructures are suitable for use in liquid environments.