Seminarium Fizyki Ciała Stałego

The interaction between metal nanoparticles and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) opens new possibilities in optoelectronics and nanoengineering. A promising approach for fabricating well-defined nanostructures is the self-organization of metal deposits on semiconductor surfaces, which enables precise control over their properties at the atomic level.In the first part of the presentation, we will explore the growth and structural characterization of gold nanoislands on MoS₂ surfaces, formed via deposition on both pristine and synthetic bilayer MoS₂/SiO₂ substrates. High-resolution scanning probe techniques, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), reveal the crystallographic alignment of the Au nanoislands with the underlying MoS₂ lattice (Fig. 1). The resulting structures exhibit a characteristic triangular morphology, with lateral sizes ranging from 10–50 nm and thicknesses of 2–8 nm, tunable by deposition parameters.A key aspect of these systems is their weak interaction with the MoS₂ substrate, making them ideal candidates for nanoscale manipulation. In the second part, we will present STM- and AFM-tip-induced manipulation experiments, demonstrating controlled displacement of individual nanoislands along the zigzag directions of the MoS₂ lattice. Additionally, we will discuss the role of substrate defects, such as exfoliated grooves and vacancies, in influencing manipulation behavior. The ability to construct well-ordered nanopad systems through deterministic manipulation methods offers exciting perspectives for molecular nanoelectronics and nanoscale device integration.