title: The role of metal layers in the formation of metal-silicon hybrid nanoneedle arrays.
abstract: We investigated nanoneedle arrays fabricated on a series of metal-silicon substrates using Ga(+) ion beam patterning. It is shown that the low sputtering rate of the metal is preserved on the tip of each nanoneedle in the form of a gallium alloy nanodot. The generated nanodot was found to greatly alleviate the ion sputtering of the underlying materials. These protective metals are promising materials that act as a shelter for the functional layer, which is vulnerable to ion beam irradiation. In the present work, as an example, we report a bundle of GaAs nanowhiskers that were successfully grown on each gold nanodot protected by an iron-gallium alloy.
authors: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798 Singapore.
authors: Hai
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Chee Ying
authors: CY
authors: Khoo
authors: Boluo
authors: B
authors: Yadian
authors: Qing
authors: Q
authors: Liu
authors: Chee Lip
authors: CL
authors: Gan
authors: Xiaohong
authors: X
authors: Tang
authors: Yizhong
authors: Y
authors: Huang