Conductive films of ordered nanowire arrays

High-density, ordered arrays of germanium nanowires have been synthesised within the pores of mesoporous thin films (MTFs) and anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) matrices using a supercritical fluid solution-phase inclusion technique. Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) was utilised to study the electrical properties of the nanowires within these arrays. Nearly all of the semiconductor nanowires contained within the AAO substrates were found to be conducting. Additionally, each individual nanowire within the substrate possessed similar electrical properties demonstrating that the nanowires are continuous and reproducible within each pore. C-AFM was also able to probe the conductance of individual nanowires, 3–4 nm in diameter, within the MTF templates. The ability to synthesise ordered arrays of semiconducting nanowires is a key step in future bottom-up fabrication of multi-layered device architectures for potential nanoelectronic and optoelectronic devices.