Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) may be used as a template for electrochemically fabricating metal and semiconductor nano-wires. We assess the seminal factors involved in each step in this fabrication process with an aim at producing device-quality semiconductor nano-arrays. This includes an analysis of the electrochemical factors, the structural effects resulting from the templating, the crystallinity of the nano-wires, their anisotropy and their suitability for device applications.