Self-organized gold nanodots array on a silicon substrate and its mechanical stability

The fabrication of a self-organized two-dimensional array of gold nanodots encapsulated by alkanethiol on a silicon substrate is presented. An experimental study on the mechanical stability of such a quantum dot structure was carried out. The results of this work demonstrate that gold nanodots encapsulated by alkanethiol can maintain their position strongly on a silicon substrate rather than be destroyed in a destructive environment. Therefore it is believed that such a nanostructure is useful for the development of future nanoelectronics.