“Gentle lithography” with benzene on Si(100)

A scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based nanolithographic method has been demonstrated. The previously reported tip-induced desorption of benzene from Si(100) was utilized to pattern the surface with close to atomic precision. This kind of lithography can take place under very mild conditions. Writing occurs with a STM tip bias of 2.8 V. No heating, etching, or exposure to photons is required. The method is best suited for small to medium sized molecules and can be said to be reliable for resolutions of 2 nm and above. In this letter, we have demonstrated patterning areas of the surface with ethylene and vinyl ferrocene.