Assembly of complex nano-structure from single atoms - Chemical identification, manipulation and assembly by AFM-

Abstract

An atomic force microscope (AFM) under noncontact and nearcontact regions operated at room-temperature (RT) in ultrahigh vacuum, is used as a tool for topography-based atomic discrimination and atomic-interchange manipulations of two intermixed atomic species on semiconductor surfaces. Noncontact AFM topography based site-specific force curves provide the chemical covalent bonding forces between the tip apex and the atoms at the surface. Here, we introduced an example related to topography-based atomic discrimination using selected Sn and Si adatoms in Sn/Si(111)-(√3 × √3) surface. Recently, under nearcontact region, we found a lateral atom-interchange manipulation phenomenon at RT in Sn/Ge(111)-c(2×8) intermixed sample. This phenomenon can interchange an embedded Sn atom with a neighbor Ge atom at RT. Using the vector scan method under nearcontact region, we constructed "Atom Inlay", that is, atom letters "Sn" consisted of 19 Sn atoms embedded in Ge(111)-c(2×8) substrate. Using these methods, now we can assemble compound semiconductor nanostructures atom-by-atom.