Growth of silicon nano-ribbons on Ag(110): State of the art

Abstract

The adsorption of silicon on Ag(110) forms long nano-ribbons, with very few atomic defects, perfectly aligned along the [110] direction of the Ag surface and all with the same width and same height. Despite many experimental and theoretical works, the atomic structure of the nano-ribbons is still debated and up until now, no proposed model agrees with all the experimental characterizations. The same controversy exists for thicker 3D nano-ribbons showing a pyramidal shape: are they stacks of silicene layers or nano-facetting of the substrate? Independently of the atomic structure it is well established that silicon nano-ribbons are hard to oxidize and can be used as templates to grow magnetic or organic nanostructures. In this chapter, we review the growth of silicon nano-ribbons on the Ag(110) surface.