Researchers Create Artificial Materials Atom-By-Atom

The tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) above chlorine atoms that have been deliberately moved. By moving individual atoms under their microscope, scientists were able to arrange vacancies in a single layer of chlorine atoms and create atomic lattices with a predetermined electrical response.

Credit: Ella Maru Studio & Aalto University

Using their atomic assembly method, the research team demonstrated complete control by creating two real-life structures inspired by fundamental model systems with exotic electronic properties.

The approach is not limited to the chlorine system chosen by the research team either. The same method can be applied in many well-understood systems in surface and nanoscience and could even be adapted to mesoscopic systems, such as quantum dots, which are controlled through lithographic processes.

“There are many fascinating theoretical proposals that don’t exist in real materials. This is our chance to test these ideas experimentally”, explains Academy Research Fellow Teemu Ojanen at Aalto University.

The study was performed at Aalto University’s Department of Applied Physics and the groups are parts of the Academy of Finland’s Centres of Excellence in Low Temperature Quantum Phenomena and Devices (LTQ) and Computational Nanosciences (COMP). The Aalto Centre for Quantum Engineering (CQE), Academy of Finland and the European Research Council (ERC) funded the research. A consortia funding application to further pursue designer matter is currently under review.

Peter Liljeroth