Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 45: Oxides and insulators: Adsorption II

O 45.1: Talk

Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 11:15–11:30, WIL C307

Atomic scale manipulation of single molecules on ultrathin insulating films using an STM — •Ingmar Swart, Tobias Sonnleitner, and Jascha Repp — Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany

On metallic and semiconducting substrates, atoms and molecules can be manipulated controllably on the atomic scale by the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) or atomic force microscope (AFM), allowing the creation of nano-engineered structures. In recent years, ultrathin insulating films have been used in STM studies to decrease the electronic coupling between the adsorbate and the underlying substrate. In contrast to manipulation on metal substrates, the use of traditional lateral manipulation modes cannot be successfully applied to molecules on ultrathin insulating films, due to the unfavorable diffusion barrier to binding energy ratio: it is relatively easy to pick the molecule up from the surface with the STM tip compared to successful lateral manipulation. On insulating films, inelastic excitation is relatively efficient due to the increased life-time of the additional charge. Inelastic excitation can result in lateral motion of the molecule. We studied the inelastic excitation for different parameters to gain control over the direction of the lateral motion. By using this new manipulation scheme we can form well-defined and stable structures consisting of several molecules. The mechanical stability of such structures is evidenced by the motion of the entire complex upon excitation.