Al-alkyls as acceptor dopant precursors for atomic-scale devices

Atomically precise ultradoping of silicon is possible with atomic resists, area-selective surface chemistry, and a limited set of hydride and halide precursor molecules, in a process known as atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM). It is desirable to expand this set of precursors to include dopants with organic functional groups and here we consider aluminium alkyls, to expand the applicability of APAM. We explore the impurity content and selectivity that results from using trimethyl aluminium and triethyl aluminium precursors on Si(001) to ultradope with aluminium through a hydrogen mask. Comparison of the methylated and ethylated precursors helps us understand the impact of hydrocarbon ligand selection on incorporation surface chemistry. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory calculations, we assess the limitations of both classes of precursor and extract general principles relevant to each.

Degenerate electronic structure of reconstructed MnSi(1.7) nanowires on Si(001)

Higher manganese silicide nanowires have been grown on the Si(001)-2 × 1 surface by the pre-growth of Bi nanolines. Scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) observations show that the nanowire has a linear surface reconstruction with a periodicity of 0.56 nm, and we propose a reconstruction on their surface to reduce the density of dangling bonds, which forms linear structures matching the dimensions from STM. Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) data agree with previous calculation results and reveal that the nanowires are degenerate semiconductors, with potential application for spintronics.

Manganese silicide nanowires on Si(001)

A method for promoting the growth of manganese silicide nanowires on Si(001) at 450 °C is described. The anisotropic surface stress generated by bismuth nanolines blocks the formation of embedded structures and stabilizes the nucleation of manganese silicide islands which grow in a preferred direction, forming nanowires with a band gap of approximately 0.6 eV, matching the reported band gap of MnSi(1.7). This method may also provide a means to form silicide nanowires of other metals where they do not otherwise form.

Competing interactions in molecular adsorption: NH(3) on Si(001)

Ammonia is a good model system for the study of co-adsorption interactions, including indirect effects such as charge and strain-induced local effects on adsorption sites, and direct interactions such as hydrogen bonding. On the Si(001) surface, it adsorbs molecularly, via a dative bond from the N atom to the down atom of a buckled dimer, and is therefore very sensitive to the local charge conditions. It will then dissociate into -H and -NH(2) groups, adsorbed on the dangling bonds of the Si dimers. The NH(2) groups do not diffuse, so any correlations deriving from interactions during adsorption are preserved, and can be derived by analysis of the arrangements of the NH(2) groups. Hydrogen-bonding interactions are crucial in understanding the behaviour of this system, with significant co-adsorption interactions occurring both along and across rows, outweighing the electrostatic or buckling-related effects. In recent years, there have been several scanning tunnelling microscopy studies and extensive computational modelling of the NH(3) on Si(001) system, attempting to determine a dominant mechanism governing co-adsorption effects. In this review, I will discuss both experimental and theoretical results, make a comparison with similar molecules such as phosphine (PH(3)), and review the different ways in which experimentalists and modellers have approached this complex system.

Comment on 'Bi nanolines on Si(001): registry with substrate'

A recent article (Miwa et al 2005 Nanotechnology 16 2427) casts doubt on the four-dimer-wide Haiku model for the Bi nanoline on Si(001), suggesting instead that the three-dimer-wide Miki model (which had been ruled out) is a better fit in particular to x-ray data. The reasons why the Haiku model provides the best fit to all published data among currently proposed structures are discussed, concentrating on the width and registry of the Bi nanoline, and mentioning new data which shows that under appropriate conditions the two structures coexist in the same surface.

Stress relief as the driving force for self-assembled bi nanolines

Bi nanolines self-assemble on Si(001) and are remarkable for their straightness and length-they are often more than 400 nm long, and a kink in a nanoline has never been observed. Through electronic structure calculations, we have found an energetically favorable structure for these nanolines that agrees with our scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission experiments; the structure has an extremely unusual subsurface structure, comprising a double core of seven-membered rings of silicon. Our proposed structure explains all the observed features of the nanolines, and shows that surface stress resulting from the mismatch between the Bi and the Si substrates is responsible for their self-assembly. This has wider implications for the controlled growth of nanostructures on semiconductor surfaces.