Solid-state dewetting for ordered arrays of crystallographically oriented metal particles

We demonstrate that topographically modified substrates can be used as templates to control solid-state dewetting of thin films by creating a periodic variation in the initial curvature of the film. The dewetting of gold films on oxidized silicon surfaces patterned with arrays of inverted pyramid shaped pits is investigated. For specific ranges of relative film thickness and topographic dimension, dewetting results in arrays of submicrometer-scale particles with uniform periodic spacing and nearly uniform size and crystallographic orientation. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.