Nanostructures with threedimensional tailored geometries exhibit extraordinary material properties. Therefore the are regarded as promissing candidates for future industrial applications. A new and sophisticated technique to create nanoobjects with threedimensional geometries is the recently developted glancing angle deposition. The growth mechanism bases on atomic shadowing due to a particle flux reaching the substrate under an extremly oblique angle of incidende. The structure morphology can be varried by an appropriate substrate rotation during the growth process. Lately, scientists from the Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V. in Leipzig succeeded in fabricating chiral nanostructures from silicon such as chevrons, spirals or screws.
The chirality of the threedimensional nanoobjects mainly influences the mechanical and optical properties of the underlying bulk material. Therefore the nanostructures are of technological interest especially for mechnical actuators, nanooptical gratings, threedimensional photonic bandgap and optical filter materials.

Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung (IOM)
Permoserstr. 15
04318 Leipzig
Frau Dr. E. Schubert

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