Development of one-dimensional band structure in artificial gold chains.
The ability of a scanning tunneling microscope to manipulate single atoms is used to build well-defined gold chains on NiAl(110). The electronic properties of the one-dimensional chains are dominated by an unoccupied electron band, gradually developing from a single atomic orbital present in a gold atom. Spatially resolved conductance measurements along a 20-atom chain provide the dispersion relation, effective mass, and density of states of the free electron-like band. These experiments demonstrate a strategy for probing the interrelation between geometric structure, elemental composition, and electronic properties in metallic nanostructures.
Nilius
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Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4575, USA.
Wallis
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Ho
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