Carbon nanotube patterning with capillary micromolding of catalyst

Patterning of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber has been achieved by catalyst patterning using capillary micromolding process. Iron acetate catalyst nanoparticles were dissolved in ethanol and mold was fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The ethanol solution containing catalyst nanoparticles was filled into the microchannel formed between PDMS mold and Si-wafer by capillary force. The capillary action of different solvents was simulated by commercial CFD-ACE+ simulation code to determine optimal solvents. Simulated result shows that the choice of solvent was critical in this capillary filling process. After the catalyst patterning, MWNT was grown at 700 approximately 800 degrees C by PECVD process using CH4 and Ar gas in a scale of approximately 10 micro-meters in a tubular inductively coupled plasma reactor. Grown CNTs were analyzed by FE-SEM and Raman Spectroscopy.