From random to self-organized clusters on surfaces: a variable temperatureSTM study

The spontaneous organization of clusters of adsorbed metal atoms on surface s is driven by the substrate temperature imposed during growth. The morphol ogy and distribution of nanostructures can be controlled: from very small ( a few atoms) randomly distributed clusters to bigger (several 100 atoms) se lf-organized clusters on a regular network, From a detailed variable temper ature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) study, it is suggested that this way of organizing matter at the nanoscale may be used to achieve new materi al properties, In particular, on the example of Co on Au(111), it is shown that the direction of the magnetization can be adjusted from in-plane to ou t-of-plane, depending on the growth condition.