Fe Nanoclusters on the Ge(001) Surface Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Density Functional Theory Calculations and X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism

• 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.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Ge(001)

iron nanoclusters

self-assembly

scanning tunnelling

microscopy

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

density functional

theory calculations

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)