Fabrication of Nanowires

A system comprising:

• a superlattice having multiple alternating layers of a first material and a second material, at least one layer of the multiple alternating layers having a length, a thickness, and a depth, the multiple alternating layers being deposited in a direction substantially parallel to the thickness;
• wherein:
• at least one of the multiple alternating layers of the first material has a first surface that extends substantially parallel to the thickness;
• at least one of the multiple alternating layers of the second material having a second surface that extends substantially parallel to the first surface, and wherein the second surface is offset from the first surface;
• and
• the multiple alternating layers having a third surface, the third surface being physically remote from the first surface and the second surface, the third surface for electrical communication.

A method comprising:

• fabricating nanometer-thickness wires by:
• etching a working surface of a superlattice having alternating layers of one or more conductive materials with layers of one or more other materials, the other materials having a higher etch rate than the conductive materials, the working surface comprising exposed edges of the alternating layers, at least one of the exposed edges having a thickness and a length, with the thickness being nanometers in scale, wherein the etching the working surface preferentially erodes the other material layers to cause the exposed edges of the one or more conductive material layers to be offset from the exposed edges of the other material layers;
• and
• using electrochemical deposition to dissolve the one or more conductive materials from the exposed edges of the conductive material layers and apply the dissolved materials onto a conductive substrate.

A method comprising:

• fabricating nanometer-thickness wires by:
• providing a working surface of a superlattice having alternating layers of one or more conductive materials with layers of one or more other non-conductive materials, the working surface being substantially planar and comprising exposed edges of the alternating layers, at least one of the exposed edges having a thickness and a length, with the thickness being nanometers in scale;
• providing a substrate having a conducting thin-film surface layer;
• immersing the working surface and the substrate in an electrolyte capable of carrying ions of the conducting thin-film surface layer;
• and
• using electrochemical etching to dissolve part of the conducting thin-film surface layer locally and re-deposit the part of the conducting thin-film surface layer on the exposed edges of the conductive material layers.

A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

• fabricating nanometer-thickness wires by:
• placing, within nanometers to tens of nanometers of an insulating layer of a conductive substrate and within an electrolyte capable of carrying ions of one or more conductive materials, a working surface that exposes edges of alternating layers, including a first set of layers of one or more conductive materials and a second set of layers of one or more other materials, the exposed edges having a thickness and a length, with the thickness being nanometers in scale;
• and
• creating a voltage difference between the exposed edges of the conductive material layers and the conductive substrate.

A method comprising:

• fabricating a superlattice by:
• applying onto a substrate, layers of two or more conductive materials with a first thickness less than 50 nanometers alternating with one or more other materials with a second thickness less than 50 nanometers, to create alternating layers of the conductive materials and the other materials;
• and
• providing a working surface including a first set of edges made from the conductive materials and a second set of edges made from the other materials, the first set of edges extending substantially parallel to each other and the second set of edges.