Wafer-scale silicon nanopillars and nanocones by Langmuir-Blodgett assembly and etching

We have developed a method combining Langmuir-Blodgett assembly and reactive ion etching to fabricate nanopillars with uniform coverage over an entire 4 inch wafer. We demonstrated precise control over the diameter and separation between the nanopillars ranging from 60 to 600 nm. We can also change the shape of the pillars from having vertical to tapered sidewalls with sharp tips exhibiting a radius of curvature of 5 nm. This method opens up many possible opportunities in nanoimprinting, solar cells, batteries, and scanning probes. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.