Multiple Silicon Atom Artificial Molecules

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the creation of linear ensembles of silicon dangling bonds on a silicon surface, revealing complex electronic interactions and state variations, with potential implications for nanoscale electronic devices.

Contribution

It introduces a method to pattern closely spaced silicon dangling bonds and analyzes their collective electronic states and interactions.

Findings

Dangling bond chains exhibit rich electronic state variations.

Close placement of negative dangling bonds causes electrostatic perturbations.

Adding a second dangling bond can neutralize the electrostatic effects.

Abstract

We present linear ensembles of dangling bond chains on a hydrogen terminated Si(100) surface, patterned in the closest spaced arrangement allowed by the surface lattice. Local density of states maps over a range of voltages extending spatially over the close-coupled entities reveal a rich energetic and spatial variation of electronic states. These artificial molecules exhibit collective electronic states resulting from covalent interaction of the constituent atoms. A pronounced electrostatic perturbation of dangling bond chain structure is induced by close placement of a negatively dangling bond. The electronic changes so induced are entirely removed, paradoxically, by addition of a second dangling bond.