Scanning tunneling microscope controlled diffusion on Ag(1 1 0)

Recent scanning tunneling microscope (STM) studies emphasize the important role of the tip/surface interaction even at typical imaging conditions. The tip-induced adatom diffusion on anisotropic Ag(1 1 0) has been investigated upon scanning parallel to the close-packed rows, where diffusion is preferred. In this scanning direction Ag atoms, which were removed from kink sites, follow the tip into an originally empty surface region, until it passes onto the adjacent close packed row. Due to attractive interaction diffusion is drastically suppressed by the tip.