Growth of horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes from designated sidewalls of DRIE-etched silicon trench

Horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes (HACNTs) were grown from designated trench sidewalls in silicon substrate with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system. The silicon trenches were fabricated with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology, and Fe catalysts were deposited onto the selected trench sidewalls by tilt angle electron beam evaporation. Characterizations of the as-grown CNTs were performed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and current-voltage measurement. The good horizontal alignment is mainly attributed to the van der Waals interaction within these dense CNTs. The growth of HACNTs, together with their good electrical performance will inspire further efforts towards their application in micro/nanoelectronics.