Patent ID: 8790462

Claim:
A method for producing a structure including at least one nanowhisker on a planar substrate, the method comprising: providing the planar substrate of a predetermined material, providing at least one mass of a metal catalytic material on a surface of the substrate at a predetermined position on the surface, after the step of providing the at least one mass, annealing at a first temperature the at least one mass of metal catalytic material located on the surface of the planar substrate to alloy at least one other metal material with the at least one mass of metal catalytic material to create a metal alloy catalytic seed particle from each said mass and to create a wetted interface between the surface of the substrate and the metal alloy catalytic seed particle, and after the step of annealing during which the metal alloy catalytic seed particle is created, epitaxially growing at a second temperature different from the first temperature a nanowhisker of a predetermined material from the metal alloy catalytic seed particle located on the substrate by introducing a first precursor gas flow to the metal alloy catalytic seed particle, wherein each said mass is such that during the formation of the catalytic seed particle, forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface of the planar substrate are less than a holding force across the wetted interface between the surface of the planar substrate and the metal alloy catalytic seed particle.