Patent ID: 6972228

Claim:
A method of forming an element of a microelectronic circuit, comprising: forming a sacrificial layer having a lower surface on an upper surface of a support layer; forming a height-defining layer having a lower surface on an upper surface of the sacrificial layer; removing the sacrificial layer so that a gap is defined between the upper surface of the support layer and the lower surface of the height-defining layer; growing a monocrystalline semiconductor material from a nucleation site at least partially through the gap with a height of the semiconductor material being defined by a height of the gap; patterning the height-defining layer to form a spacer block on the monocrystalline semiconductor material; forming a spacer side wall on a side of the spacer block by depositing a conformal layer over the monocrystalline semiconductor material and a surface of the spacer block and etching the conformal layer back; removing the spacer block; and etching the monocrystalline semiconductor material with the spacer side wall serving as a mask, to form a wire element out of the monocrystalline semiconductor material.