Site-selective core/shell deposition of tin on multi-segment nanowires for magnetic assembly and soldered interconnection

Abstract

Abstract The field of nanotechnology continues to grow with the ongoing discovery and characterization of novel nanomaterials with unconventional size-dependent properties; however, the ability to apply modern manufacturing strategies for practical device design of these nanoscale structures is significantly limited by their small size. Although interconnection has been previously demonstrated between nanoscale components, such approaches often require the use of expensive oxidation-resistant noble metal materials and time-consuming or untargeted strategies for welded interconnection such as laser ablation or plasmonic resonance across randomly oriented component networks. In this work, a three-segment gold–nickel–gold nanowire structure is synthesized using templated electrodeposition and modified via monolayer-directed aqueous chemical reduction of tin solder selectively on the gold segments. This core/shell nanowire structure is capable of directed magnetic assembly tip-to-tip and along substrate pads in network orientation. Upon infrared heating in a flux vapor atmosphere, the solder payload melts and establishes robust and highly conductive wire–wire joints. The targeted solder deposition strategy has been applied to various other multi-segment gold/nickel nanowire configurations and other metallic systems to demonstrate the capability of the approach. This core/shell technique of pre-loading magnetically active nanowires with solder material simplifies the associated challenges of size-dependent component orientation in the manufacture of nanoscale electronic devices.