**3.1 Alumina porous template**

The template considered for the NWSIW is nanoporous alumina wherein metallic nanowires can grow. Commercial solutions are based on anodic alumina oxide (AAO);

#### **Figure 2.**

*Schematic top view (left) and side view (right) of AAO template. T is the thickness of the template, D is the diameter of the pores.*


#### **Table 1.**

*Characteristics of AAO porous template.*

the oxide is obtained by anodization of aluminum. The result is an array of vertical cylindrical pores arranged as a hexagonal pattern, as illustrated in **Figure 2**. The diameter of the pores is fixed by the process and typically ranges between 25 nanometers and 0.5 μm. Another characteristic parameter is the porosity P of the template, defined as the total surface occupied by pores in a given area reported to the surface of this area. The available thicknesses of the AAO template and its electrical parameters are also reported in **Table 1**.
