Abstract
The functionalization of the anisotropic Ag(110) surface with a self-assembled silicon nanostripe grating prior to Co deposition has been studied in situ with scanning tunneling microscopy. At room temperature, Co atoms are adsorbed on top of the silicon nanostructures. As the diffusion rate of Co into the Si nanostripes is very low at this temperature, the formation of well-organized, identical Co nanolines arranged in parallel rows is observed. Upon annealing at 100 °C, Co atoms massively diffuse into the nanostripes, leading to the destruction of the Si array. The early stages of growth at room temperature indicate that the parallel Co nanolines are coupled and display short-range interaction. Our results show that the Ag(110) surface covered with a silicon nanostripe grating can be used as a template for the growth of identical and well-ordered one-dimensional nanostructures of various materials.