Invited Article: Autonomous Assembly of Atomically Perfect Nanostructures Using a Scanning Tunneling Microscope

Published

December 1, 2014

Author(s)

Joseph A. Stroscio, Robert Celotta, Stephen B. Balakirsky, Aaron P. Fein, Frank M. Hess, Gregory Rutter

Abstract

A major goal of nanotechnology is to develop the capability to arrange matter at will by placing individual atoms at desired locations in a predetermined configuration to build a nanostructure with specific properties or function. The scanning tunneling microscopic has demonstrated the ability to arrange the basic building blocks of matter, single atoms, in two-dimensional configurations. An array of various nanostructures have been assembled that display the quantum mechanics of quantum confined geometries. The level of human interaction needed to physically locate the atom and bring it to the desired location limits this atom assembly technology. The advance that we describe in this article is the use of autonomous atom assembly via path planning technology; this allows atomically perfect nanostructures to be assembled without the need for human intervention to place each atom, resulting in precise constructions in shorter times. We demonstrate autonomous assembly by assembling various quantum confining geometries of atoms and molecules and describe the benefits of this approach.

Citation

Review of Scientific Instruments

Volume

85

Issue

12

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4902536

Keywords

Autonomous assembly, scanning tunneling microscope, atom manipulation, nanostructures

Citation

Stroscio, J. , Celotta, R. , Balakirsky, S. , Fein, A. , Hess, F. and Rutter, G. (2014), Invited Article: Autonomous Assembly of Atomically Perfect Nanostructures Using a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, Review of Scientific Instruments, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4902536 (Accessed October 18, 2025)