Patent ID: 7687981

Claim:
A method for fabricating a carbon nanotube array having a low site-density growth, which method comprises: providing a substrate; forming a non-catalytic metal interlayer on the substrate, the non-catalytic metal interlayer having a thickness of from about 0.6 nm to about 2.0 nm; forming a catalytic metal overlayer on the non-catalytic metal interlayer, the catalytic metal overlayer having a thickness of from about 1.0 nm to about 5.5 nm and defined by a plurality of separate pads disposed on the surface of at least a portion of the non-catalytic metal interlayer; and forming the plurality of carbon nanotube structures on the substrate in the presence of the catalytic metal overlayer, the carbon nanotube structures having a density of no more than 10 10 nanotubes/cm 2 .