Fabrication and Characterization of a Nanoscale Ni–Al Bimorph for Reconfigurable Nanostructures

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of nanoscale nickel–aluminum (Ni–Al) bimorphs towards self-adjustable nanostructures. Nickel nanowires were grown by a template based growth method using anodized aluminum oxide membrane and positioned at the edge of an oxidized silicon substrate. A thin aluminum film was deposited on the sidewall of a Ni nanowire using pulsed laser deposition (PLD), creating the bimorph nanostructure. The deposition status and thickness of the film were monitored using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The tip deflection of Ni–Al bimorphs under temperature change was measured on a temperature-controlled stage inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The displacements of the nanoactuator tips were recorded using SEM by comparing those data in different temperatures. The measured tip deflections were up to 700 nm from an 18 μm long bimorph at a 380 K temperature change, which agreed well with the modeled prediction.