Low energy electron beam decomposition of metalorganic precursors with a scanning tunneling microscope at ambient atmosphere

Electron beam induced decomposition of metalorganic precursor substances wi th a scanning tunneling microscope is a convenient way to create nanometer- sized structures. Up to now, the application was limited due to the necessi ty of vacuum conditions. In this contribution, we report experiments to for m metallic nanostructures by the decomposition of dimethylgold(III)-trifluo ro-acetylacetonate and cyclopentadienylplatin(IV)-trimethyl on graphite and indium-tin-oxide coated glass substrates at ambient atmosphere. Small hill ocks with diameters down to 30 nm and heights of 10 nm and wire-shaped stru ctures were produced. The amount of the deposited material depends on the e nergy and the dose of the electrons. A threshold voltage was found for both materials. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(99)07804-X].