Figure 5.

Schematic overview of a technique used to produce nanotopographies reflecting the triangular lattice arrangements (or hexagonal lattice patterns) within a colloidal mask, (a) as developed by Ng et al. (2002), (b), (image reproduced with kind permission of V. Ng and IOP Publishing Limited). A closely packed in-plane colloidal mask is produced, (a(i)), and metal is deposited atop this, coating the interstices between the particles, (a(ii)). Colloids are removed from the surface resulting in triangular (or hexagonal) lattice arrangements of deposited metal, (a(iii)), (b). The pattern can then be used as a mask during RIE, where ions only etch the exposed material, in this instance the area where the colloids were originally located.