Fabrication and electron-beam-induced polymerization of C60 nanoribbon

Abstract

We have presented a method of fabricating an array of C60 nanoribbons on a Si(111) surface and have investigated the electron-beam-induced polymerization of C60 nanoribbons using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). By selective growth of C60 multilayers on the terrace of a misoriented Si(111) √3×√3R30°-Ag surface, a uniformly oriented array of C 60 nanoribbons having the dimensions of 40 nm×4-5 nm (width×thickness) has been fabricated. The length of these nanoribbons exceeds several micrometers. The cluster-shaped C60 oligomer has been created on the nanoribbons after electron beam irradiation. In the case of the oligomer, we have observed a higher electron density near the Fermi level than in the case of the nonpolymerized C60 molecules. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.