Focused-ion-beam-based selective closing and opening of anodic alumina nanochannels for the growth of nanowire arrays comprising multiple elements

A lithographic process based on focused ion beam bombardment is developed for selectively closing and opening nanochannels on a porous anodic alumina film. This resist-free process is based on the use of focused ion beams with different energies that strike a balance between material sputtering and material relocation. This process is used to selectively grow nanowire patterns of different elements.