STM-assisted manipulation of Ag nanoparticles

We report scanning tunneling microscope (STM) investigations of inert-gas-evaporated Ag nanoparticles deposited on atomically flat, H-terminated Si(111) surfaces, to which they weakly stick. For the present purpose, nanoparticles having an average size of 3 nm are fabricated and the particle coverage on the substrate fluctuates between one and three monolayers. The weakly coupling particle network can repeatedly be imaged with the STM without inadvertently manipulating the fundamental building blocks. When the STM is operated in the field-emission regime and the tunnel current is kept between 50 pA and 39 mu A, the temperature of the nanoparticles rises, thus stimulating local manipulation processes. Depending on the power density dissipated in the particles, we distinguish between a local sintering process leading to the formation of narrow necks to the nearest neighbors, while the original granular nature of the particle layer is maintained, and a complete fusion. In the latter case, stable nanometer-scale structures are fabricated which strongly interconnect with the underlying substrate. In combining nanoparticle-inherent properties with existing theory, we roughly estimate the temperature rise of the nanoparticles and confirm the possibility of particle liquefaction for the highest power densities generated.