CONTROLLED MANIPULATION OF SINGLE ATOMS AND SMALL MOLECULES WITH THE SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPE

We briefly survey our progress on manipulation of single atoms and sma ll molecules and formation of prototypic nanostructures with our simpl e versatile temperature variable scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Lateral manipulation, i.e. sliding of species along the surface is dem onstrated on the Cu(211) surface for carbon monoxide- and ethene-molec ules, lead-atoms and lead-dimers. We show furthermore, that we can als o manipulate substrate atoms and are even able to release native Cu-at oms from high coordinated substrate sites. Vertical manipulation, i.e. controlled transfer of species between tip and surface and vice versa is discussed for xenon atoms and propene molecules.