Fabricating artificial nanowells with tunable size and shape by using scanning tunneling microscopy

The authors report a method of precisely fabricating the large-scale nanocrystals with well-defined shape and size. The (111) oriented Pb islands deposited on Si(111)-7x7 substrate were investigated with a manipulation technique based on scanning tunneling microscopy. By applying a series of voltage pulses on the as-grown islands, artificial center-full-hollowed or half-hollowed nanowells are created, and the thickness and shape can be precisely regulated via tuning the manipulation parameters. Artificial nanoarray patterns in micron scale are also constructed using this method. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.