Niobium and hafnium grown on porous membranes

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 518; no. 23; pp. 6799 - 6803
• Main Authors: Morant, C., Márquez, F., Campo, T., Sanz, J.M., Elizalde, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 30.09.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: AAO template; Aluminum oxide; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition by sputtering; Exact sciences and technology; Hafnium; Materials science; Membranes; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanospheres; Nanostructure; Niobium; Other topics in nanoscale materials and structures; Physics; Theory and models of film growth; Zr; Nb; AAO template; Hf; Porous membrane; Template reaction; Nanostructures; Niobium; Hexagonal lattices; Zirconium; Morphology; Hafnium; Growth mechanism; Physical vapor deposition; Nanosphere
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2010.06.034

In this work we report on a method for fabricating highly ordered nanostructures of niobium and hafnium metals by physical vapour deposition using two different templates: anodized aluminum oxide membranes (AAO) and zirconium onto AAO membranes (Zr/AAO). The growth mechanism of these metal nanostructures is clearly different depending on the material used as a template. A different morphology was obtained by using AAO or Zr/AAO templates: when the metal is deposited onto AAO membranes, nanospheres with ordered hexagonal regularity are obtained; however, when the metal is deposited onto a Zr/AAO template, highly ordered nanocones are formed. The experimental approach described in this work is simple and suitable for synthesizing nanospheres or nanoholes of niobium and hafnium metals in a highly ordered structure.