Synthesis of carbon nanotubes with identical dimensions using an anodic aluminum oxide template on a silicon wafer

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with uniform channels of sub-micron length were fabricated on silicone wafers. Carbon was deposited on the wall of the pores via decomposition of acetylene at 800degreesC. The synthesized carbon nanotubes have identical dimensions of 900 nm in length and 70 nm in diameter. Raman spectrum showed that the crystallinity of these CNTs is relatively high though no catalyst was used. The proposed technique can be applied to the fabrication of vacuum microelectronic devices. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.