Atom-by-atom extraction using the scanning tunneling microscope tip-cluster interaction

    Authors

    A. Deshpande; H. Yildirim; A. Kara; D. P. Acharya; J. Vaughn; T. S. Rahman;S. W. Hla

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Phys. Rev. Lett.

    Keywords

    LATERAL MANIPULATION; SINGLE-ATOM; SURFACES; MOTION; FORCE; Physics, Multidisciplinary

    Abstract

    We investigate the atomistic details of a single atom-extraction process realized by using the scanning tunneling microscope tip-cluster interaction on a Ag(111) surface at 6 K. Single atoms are extracted from a silver cluster one atom at a time using small tunneling biases less than 35 mV. Combined total energy calculations and molecular dynamics simulations show a lowering of the atom-extraction barrier upon approaching the tip to the cluster. Thus, a mere tuning of the proximity between the tip and the cluster governs the extraction process. The atomic precision and reproducibility of this procedure are demonstrated by repeatedly extracting single atoms from a silver cluster on an atom-by-atom basis.

    Journal Title

    Physical Review Letters

    Volume

    98

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2007

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    4

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000243586700072

    ISSN

    0031-9007

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