Electroforming of copper structures at nanometer-sized gaps of self-assembled monolayers on silver

This paper describes a method to fabricate micro- and nanostructures of copper by electrodeposition onto nanometer-sized gaps in self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of alkanethiolates on metal surfaces. We have demonstrated that the approach can produce large numbers of metallic micro- or nanostructures over large (2 cm²) areas with features as small as ≈70 nm. The electrodeposited copper structures can be transferred using Scotch tape onto both flat and curved substrates. Linear arrays of copper structures have been tested for use as optical polarizers. A polarization ratio R = ≈2.0 was found for light with λ = 633 nm in transmission mode for linear arrays of copper wires (≈220 nm, with a 1-μm pitch) mounted on antireflective windows.