Patent ID: 8652317

Claim:
A method of fabricating an alumina nanohole array, comprising the steps of: providing an aluminum substrate and cooling the aluminum substrate to a substrate temperature of −80° C. or below; forming an aluminum thin-film having a purity of at least 99.9% on the aluminum substrate at the substrate temperature of −80° C. or below, which is a substrate temperature effective to form an aluminum thin-film having a smooth surface characterized as having an Rmax that is 3 nm or less; providing a mold having thereon an orderly array of projections; texturing the smooth surface of the aluminum thin-film by, in combination: (a) holding the mold and the aluminum thin-film at a temperature ranging from 150° C. to 200°, which is a temperature effective to provide a Vickers hardness of the aluminum thin-film that is about one-half the Vickers hardness thereof at room temperature, and which is a temperature effective to suppress oxidation of the aluminum under an atmospheric environment, and (b) pressing the orderly array of projections of the mold against the aluminum thin-film to form pits in the aluminum thin-film; and anodizing the aluminum thin-film having pits formed therein to provide the alumina nanohole array.