Fabricating artificial nanowells with tunable size and shape by using scanning tunneling microscopy

The authors report a method of precisely fabricating the large-scale nanocrystals with well-defined shape and size. The (111) oriented Pb islands deposited on Si(111)-7x7 substrate were investigated with a manipulation technique based on scanning tunneling microscopy. By applying a series of voltage pulses on the as-grown islands, artificial center-full-hollowed or half-hollowed nanowells are created, and the thickness and shape can be precisely regulated via tuning the manipulation parameters. Artificial nanoarray patterns in micron scale are also constructed using this method.