Article Title

Fe nanoclusters on the Ge(001) surface studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, density functional theory calculations and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

Authors

Olaf Lübben, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Sergey A. Krasnikov, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Alexei B. Preobrajenski, MAX-lab, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
Barry E. Murphy, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Igor V. Shvets, Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

Keywords

Ge(001), iron nanoclusters, self-assembly, scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, density functional theory calculations

Abstract

ABSTRACT The growth of Fe nanoclusters on the Ge(001) surface has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. STM results indicate that Fe nucleates on the Ge(001) surface, forming well-ordered nanoclusters of uniform size. Depending on the preparation conditions, two types of nanoclusters were observed having either four or sixteen Fe atoms within a nanocluster. The results were confirmed by DFT calculations. Annealing the nanoclusters at 420 K leads to the formation of nanorow structures, due to cluster mobility at such temperature. The Fe nanoclusters and nanorow structures formed on the Ge(001) surface show a superparamagnetic behaviour as measured by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism.

Graphical Abstract

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-011-0153-6

Publisher

Tsinghua University Press

Recommended Citation

Olaf Lübben,Sergey A. Krasnikov,Alexei B. Preobrajenski,Barry E. Murphy,Igor V. Shvets, Fe nanoclusters on the Ge(001) surface studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, density functional theory calculations and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. NanoRes.2011, 4(10): 971–978