Maskless synthesis of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofibers (VACNF) field emission arrays on a Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) template

In this paper, a non-lithographic technique that produces organized nanoscale nickel catalyst for carbon nanofiber growth on a silicon substrate is described. This technique involves three consecutive steps: first, the substrate is laser-irradiated to produce a periodic nano rippled structure; second, a thin film of nickel is deposited using glancing angle ion beam sputter-deposition, followed by heat-treatment; and third, a catalytic DC plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process is conducted to produce the vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF).