Controlling Direction of Growth of Carbon Nanotubes on Patterned SiO2 Substrate

A new technique to preferentially control the direction of the growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is proposed. SWNTs are grown by the thermal chemical vapor deposition process on patterned SiO2 substrates with line and space grooves of the order of submicrometers. SWNTs grow along the lower corner of the grooves and are oriented along the direction of the grooves. Further, we propose two modes of SWNT growth along the grooves on the SiO2 substrates: the stick at first mode and the vibration in air mode. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics