Ion-implantation-induced patterns formation on silicon substrates

Positive or negative silicon patterns (nanometers high or deep) were created on silicon substrates directly by xenon ion implantation, by compromising defects generated in silicon and surface sputtering. A diagram was constructed to show how to produce positive or negative silicon patterns, by controlling the energy and dose of xenon ions. Interestingly, carbon nanotubes showed different growth behaviors on the substrates with positive or negative patterns. Since the ion-implantation technique is well established and has been widely applied in semiconductor industries, this study might provide a simple method to fabricate nanometer-scale patterns.