Templated Formation of Ordered Metallic Nano-Particle Arrays

We have used interference lithography to create surfaces with di-periodic topography with periods less than 400 nm and formed gold particle arrays on these substrates through the dewetting of thin solid films. Under appropriate conditions, we have found that dewetting of gold films on di-periodic arrays of {111} bound pits in silicon leads to periodic square arrays of particles with very narrow size distributions. In addition, we find that topography can significantly reduce the diameter of particles formed by the dewetting process. We present a mechanism for this self-organization process based on modulation of the local curvature of a conformal film on topography.