The approach of the project to prepare nanostructures is based on bottom-up processes exploiting selforganization of micelles and colloids into highly ordered monolayers. In a multiple step process, the micelles/colloids serve as carriers for metal/semiconductor precursors. After the first ordering step of the carriers on top of a substrate, a plasma step follows to remove the organic carriers and, in parallel, to chemically transform the precursor into metal nanoparticles. In this way, particle arrays of high hexagonal order can be obtained exhibiting narrow size distributions and controlled interparticle distances.

Using such NP arrays as masks for a subsequent etching process, the original NP pattern can be transferred into the supporting substrate. In this way, arrays of nano-pillars or –pores are obtained with diameters even in the sub-10nm range.

Presently, the focus is on a further optimization of miniemulsions to load colloids with more complex metallic alloys or semiconducting compounds. Additionally, the preparation of core-shell-particles has a high priority. The necessary process development is at the heart of the chemically-oriented part of this project.

A second physics-oriented part of the project concentrates on combining standard lithography techniques with the above described unconventional approaches in order to develop a versatile tool for nanostructuring. The finally obtained nanostructures as well as the clean room facilities managed by TP G2 are offered to all interested groups of the SFB 569.