Self-assembled nanowire formation during Cu deposition on atomically flat Vse2 surfaces studied by microscopic methods

Self-assembled metallic nanostructures gain increasing interest in nanotechnologies and might find application in future electronic device fabrication. Upon UHV deposition of copper onto cleaved layered crystals of VSe2, self-assembled networks of nanowires and nanoclusters are observed to form and found to be remarkably stable even during storage under ambient conditions and at moderately increased temperatures. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy combined with scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy have been used to characterize the arrangements, structure and dimensions of the nanostructures and the substrate before metal deposition. On the flat parts of the substrate, self-similar nanowire networks form with wire diameters ranging from 8 to 250 nm and mesh dimensions ranging from 0.35 to 10 μm. The nanowires are preferentially aligned along low-index crystal directions and possess polycrystalline structure. Nanoclusters are formed within the meshes of the nanowire network. A model for the self-assembled growth of nanostructures during metal deposition, which takes into account the electronic charge exchange of adsorbed atoms with the substrate, will be discussed.