> Increasing microintegration of electronic devices in recent years has resulted in the development of a number of competing technologies for manufacturing nanometer-scale materials (one nanometer (nm) equals one-millionth of a millimeter). Future development of components used in electronic circuits and quantum components are to require ultra-fine processing in the range of 100nm or below.
The degree of precision in photolithography, the primary wire processing technique in use today, is currently limited to wavelengths of visible light, making it very difficult to process materials at the scale of hundreds of nanometers and smaller. However, carbon nanotubes with diameters of several nanometers, recently the subject of extensive research and development, exhibit very good electricity-conducting properties; therefore, they are expected to be utilized as material for wiring in future electronic devices. Like carbon nanotubes, highly conductive metal nanowires (wires with diameters in the nanometer scale) are also expected to be used in wiring material applications. However, while there have been reports of various methods to synthesize nanowires of highly conductive metals such as silver and copper, their aspect ratios (the ratio of the length to the diameter of the wire) are insufficient to practical applications to the wire in future devices. The technology for creating conductive nanowires with high aspect ratio is one elemental process technology that will be indispensable to the manufacture of next-generation ultra large-scale circuits.
This research resulted from discoveries made during development of antibacterial agents for use in sea water, and now is continuing as a budding research subject at AIST.
