Title: Nanolines on silicon surfaces

Authors: A.B. McLean, I.G. Hill, J.A. Lipton-Duffin, J.M. MacLeod, R.H. Miwa, G.P. Srivastava

Addresses: Department of Physics, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada. ' Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., B3H 3J5, Canada. ' Department of Physics, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada. ' Department of Physics, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada. ' Faculdade de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, C.P. 593, 38400-902, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil. ' School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK

Abstract: Although a wide range of periodic surface nets can be grown on low index silicon surfaces, only a few of these have quasi-one dimensional symmetry. If high index silicon surfaces, such as (553) and (557), are used instead, the surface unit cell contains steps. It is possible to fabricate a number of quasi-one dimensional nanoline systems on the terraces and some of these have nested energy bands near the Fermi level. These nano-scale systems may support exotic many-electron states produced by enhanced electron correlations and a reduction in electron screening in one spatial dimension. In this paper, our groups| experimental and theoretical studies of nanolines phases, grown on both low index and vicinal silicon surfaces are reviewed. These studies give us insight into the electronic properties of artificial nanoline structures.

Keywords: nanolines; one-dimensional physics; scanning tunnelling microscopy; electronic structure; highly correlated systems; silicon surfaces; nanotechnology; electronic properties; artificial nanoline structures; nanostructures.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2008.019830

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2008 Vol.5 No.9/10/11/12, pp.1018 - 1057

Published online: 09 Aug 2008 *

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