C.P. Romero

Atomic scale dynamics of ultrasmall germanium clusters.

Starting from the gas phase, small clusters can be produced and deposited with huge flexibility with regard to composition, materials choice and cluster size. Despite many advances in experimental characterization, a detailed morphology of such clusters is still lacking. Here we present an atomic scale observation as well as the dynamical behaviour of ultrasmall germanium clusters. Using quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with ab initio calculations, we are able to characterize the transition between different equilibrium geometries of a germanium cluster consisting of less than 25 atoms. Seven-membered rings, trigonal prisms and some smaller subunits are identified as possible building blocks that stabilize the structure.

Band structure quantization in nanometer sized ZnO clusters

Nanometer sized ZnO clusters are produced in the gas phase and subsequently deposited on clean Au(111) surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The zinc blende atomic structure of the approximately spherical ZnO clusters is resolved by high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The large band gap and weak n-type conductivity of individual clusters are determined by scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. The conduction band is found to exhibit clear quantization into discrete energy levels, which can be related to finite-size effects reflecting the zero-dimensional confinement. Our findings illustrate that gas phase cluster production may provide unique possibilities for the controlled fabrication of high purity quantum dots and heterostructures that can be size selected prior to deposition on the desired substrate under controlled ultra-high vacuum conditions.

Site-specific bio-functionalization of surfaces by means of metal nanostructures

We present an approach to control the immobilization process of biomolecules by functionalization of SiO2 substrates decorated with nanostructures. The creation of specific protein permissive and protein resistant areas leads to a directed and site-specific immobilization of proteins. We make use of molecular beam epitaxy and laser assisted cluster deposition to create Au nanostructures on PEG-silanized SiO2 substrates. The chemical contrast provided by the two materials, namely Au and PEG on the substrate surface supports the specificity of thiol-based Au functionalization for biomolecule attachment.