Controlled formation of metallic nanowires via Au nanoparticle ac trapping

TL;DR

This paper presents a method using ac voltages to controllably fuse gold nanoparticles into nanowires with specific diameters and conductance, expanding nanoscale fabrication techniques.

Contribution

It introduces an ac voltage technique for forming homogeneous gold nanowires, contrasting with traditional electromigration methods that create gaps.

Findings

Nanowires with predefined diameters and conductance were successfully fabricated.

The ac technique enables controlled fusion of gold nanoparticles.

This method complements existing nanoscale junction fabrication tools.

Abstract

Applying ac voltages, we trapped gold nanoparticles between microfabricated electrodes under well-defined conditions. We demonstrate that the nanoparticles can be controllably fused together to form homogeneous gold nanowires with pre-defined diameters and conductance values. Whereas electromigration is known to form a gap when a dc voltage is applied, this ac technique achieves the opposite, thereby completing the toolkit for the fabrication of nanoscale junctions.