Detection of Single Atom Extraction and Deposition Events during Nanolithographic Processing of Silicon with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope.

By monitoring the vertical motion of the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) during atomic manipulation on a surface, we have been able to detect for the first timeÅngstrom-scale displacements of the tip which are associated with the extraction and deposition of atoms on the surface, due to voltage pulses applied to the sample. The temporal distribution of these tip displacements during and after the application of the voltage pulse yields important information about the nature of the modification process.