US Patent 7220346 - Nanowire fabrication using stepped surface

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7220346.html

One of the goals of nanowire fabrication is to increase the length to diameter ratio so that individual nanowires can be used to form connections over greater distances. This patent from the University of California used stepped surfaces of a substrate to assist in forming high aspect ratio nanowires. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for preparing metallic nanometer scale wires comprising the steps of electrodepositing a metal at a step edge present on a stepped surface to form a wire, and removing the wire off of the stepped surface.