Large-area uniform nanodot arrays embedded in porous anodic alumina

A three-step method combining physical vapour deposition, grazing ion milling and thermal annealing techniques for large-area fabrication of nanodot arrays in anodic alumina oxide (AAO) templates is demonstrated. By this method, ordered arrays of Ni and Au nanodots with highly uniform diameters and a density of 1.2 x 1010 cm-2 were fabricated. The diameter and packing density of the nanodots can be controlled by the cell parameters of the AAO template. The fabrication method presented here can be extended to many other materials and allows further investigation of the size related characteristics of nanodot structures