US Patent 7985454 - Low cost nanowire growth

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7985454.html

This latest patent from Nanosys teaches a method which may bring mass production of nanowire devices closer to the mainstream. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method to produce a catalytic-coated nanowire growth substrate for nanowire growth, comprising:

(a) depositing a buffer layer on a substrate;

(b) treating the buffer layer with boiled water or steam following the depositing in step (a) to enhance interactions between the buffer layer and catalyst particles; and

(c) depositing catalytic particles on a surface of the buffer layer following the treating in step (b).