The growth of Fe nanoclusters oN the Ge（001） surface has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy （STM） and density functional theory （DFT） calculations. STM results indicate that Fe nucl...The growth of Fe nanoclusters oN the Ge（001） surface has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy （STM） and density functional theory （DFT） calculations. STM results indicate that Fe nucleates on the Ge（001） surface, forming well-ordered nanoclusters of uniform size. Depending on the preparation conditions, two types of nanoclusters were observed having either four or sixteen Fe atoms within a nanocluster. The results were confirmed by DFT calculations. Annealing the nanoclusters at 420 K leads to the formation of nanorow structures, due to cluster mobility at such temperature. The Fe nanoclusters and nanorow structures formed on the Ge（001） surface show a superparamagnetic behaviour as measured by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism.展开更多
Writing at the nanoscale using the desorption of oxygen adatoms from the oxygen-rich MoO2＋x/Mo（110） surface is demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）. High-temperature oxidation of the Mo（110） sur...Writing at the nanoscale using the desorption of oxygen adatoms from the oxygen-rich MoO2＋x/Mo（110） surface is demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）. High-temperature oxidation of the Mo（110） surface results in a strained, bulk-like MOO2（010） ultra-thin film with an O-Mo-O trilayer structure. Due to the lattice mismatch between the Mo（110） and the MOO2（010）, the latter consists of well-ordered molybdenum oxide nanorows separated by 2.5 nm. The MoO2（010）/Mo（110） structure is confirmed by STM data and density functional theory calculations. Further oxidation results in the oxygen-rich MoOa^x/Mo（110） surface, which exhibits perfectly aligned double rows of oxygen adatoms, imaged by STM as bright protrusions. These adatoms can be removed from the surface by scanning （or pulsing） at positive sample biases greater than 1.5 V. Tip movement along the surface can be used for controlled lithography （or writing） at the nanoscale, with a minimum feature size of just 3 nm. By moving the STM tip in a predetermined fashion, information can be written and read by applying specific biases between the surface and the tip.展开更多
基金This work was supported by Science Foundation Ireland （Principal Investigator grant No. 06/IN.1/191 and Research Frontiers Programme grant No. 07/ RFP/MASF185）. The authors wish to thank Trinity College High Performance Cluster, funded by the Higher Education Authority under the Program for Research in Third Level Institutes, for the use of their computing facilities.
文摘The growth of Fe nanoclusters oN the Ge（001） surface has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy （STM） and density functional theory （DFT） calculations. STM results indicate that Fe nucleates on the Ge（001） surface, forming well-ordered nanoclusters of uniform size. Depending on the preparation conditions, two types of nanoclusters were observed having either four or sixteen Fe atoms within a nanocluster. The results were confirmed by DFT calculations. Annealing the nanoclusters at 420 K leads to the formation of nanorow structures, due to cluster mobility at such temperature. The Fe nanoclusters and nanorow structures formed on the Ge（001） surface show a superparamagnetic behaviour as measured by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism.
基金This work was supported by Science Foundation Ireland （Principal Investigator grant number 12/IA/1264, and Walton Visitor Award grant number 08/W.1/B2583）. A.N.C. acknowledges support of the 7th European Community Framework Programme. STM topographic images were processed using WSxM software [39].
文摘Writing at the nanoscale using the desorption of oxygen adatoms from the oxygen-rich MoO2＋x/Mo（110） surface is demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）. High-temperature oxidation of the Mo（110） surface results in a strained, bulk-like MOO2（010） ultra-thin film with an O-Mo-O trilayer structure. Due to the lattice mismatch between the Mo（110） and the MOO2（010）, the latter consists of well-ordered molybdenum oxide nanorows separated by 2.5 nm. The MoO2（010）/Mo（110） structure is confirmed by STM data and density functional theory calculations. Further oxidation results in the oxygen-rich MoOa^x/Mo（110） surface, which exhibits perfectly aligned double rows of oxygen adatoms, imaged by STM as bright protrusions. These adatoms can be removed from the surface by scanning （or pulsing） at positive sample biases greater than 1.5 V. Tip movement along the surface can be used for controlled lithography （or writing） at the nanoscale, with a minimum feature size of just 3 nm. By moving the STM tip in a predetermined fashion, information can be written and read by applying specific biases between the surface and the tip.
