Direct writing of sub-5 nm hafnium diboride metallic nanostructures.
Sub-5 nm metallic hafnium diboride (HfB(2)) nanostructures were directly written onto Si(100)-2 × 1:H surfaces using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope (UHV-STM) electron beam induced deposition (EBID) of a carbon-free precursor molecule, tetrakis(tetrahydroborato)hafnium, Hf(BH(4))(4). Scanning tunneling spectroscopy data confirm the metallic nature of the HfB(2) nanostructures, which have been written down to lateral dimensions of ∼2.5 nm. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of sub-5 nm metallic nanostructures in an STM-EBID experiment.
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA. weiye@illinois.edu
Wei
W
Ye
Pamela A
PA
Peña Martin
Navneet
N
Kumar
Scott R
SR
Daly
Angus A
AA
Rockett
John R
JR
Abelson
Gregory S
GS
Girolami
Joseph W
JW
Lyding