Fabrication of nanodot arrays on Si by pulsed laser deposition using anodic aluminum oxide nanopore membrane as mask

We demonstrate the fabrication of metal and semiconductor nanodot arrays on Si by pulsed laser deposition using an anodic alumina membrane as a mask. A Hexagonal-close-packed nanopore membrane mask was fabricated by the anodic oxidation of aluminum sheet. Pulsed laser deposition of Ag, Ni, ZnO, and Er-doped Si (Si:Er) nanodots was performed on a Si substrate to which an alumina membrane mask adheres by van der Waals interaction. Highly ordered arrays of Ag, Ni, ZnO, and Si:Er nanodots with average diameters ranging from 55 to 86 nm and a periodicity of ∼100 nm were obtained. Also, the time-resolved images of laser-produced plasma plumes were analyzed to examine the dynamical properties of the ejected materials.