Patent ID: 8481128

Claim:
A method for growing an array of carbon nanotubes, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an opaque substrate having a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface, wherein the opaque substrate is opaque at a wavelength of a laser beam of a laser; (b) forming a catalyst film on the first substrate surface; (c) flowing a mixture of a carrier gas and a carbon source gas over the catalyst film on the first substrate surface; (d) focusing the laser beam of the laser at the wavelength to which the opaque substrate is opaque on first predetermined points of the second substrate surface, wherein heat is generated on the second substrate surface and transferred through the substrate, to locally heat second predetermined points of the second substrate surface to a predetermined temperature; and (e) growing an array of carbon nanotubes on each of the second predetermined points, via the catalyst film, on the first substrate surface.