A new subsurface growth mode in the Co-Cu system is reported. This mode provides a direct subsurface growth of Co nanoclusters by depositing Co atoms on the Cu(001) surface in a single stage. The resulting subsurface Co nanoclusters are located 2 monolayers (ML) deep below the atomically flat surface of Cu(001). Although these hidden nanoclusters cannot be directly accessed by a scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) probe, their shape could be deduced using STM/STS via a careful analysis of the local deformation of the Cu(001) surface as well as local variations of surface electron density induced by the subsurface clusters. A strongly asymmetric shape of the nanoclusters is deduced: they are typically 5-10 nm in lateral size but only 2 to 3 ML in thickness. The thickness of the nanoclusters does not evolve significantly under a heat treatment. A simple model is implemented to describe the growth kinetics. The results in this study reveal that intense processes of diffusion, nucleation, and growth take place in a region 1 nm deep, thus defining the near-surface region.

Using a micromanipulation technique, a planar photonic crystal nanocavity made from a thin semiconductor membrane is released from the host semiconductor and attached to the end facet of a standard single-mode optical fiber. The cavity spectrum can be read out through the fiber by detecting the photoluminescence of embedded quantum dots. The modified fiber end serves as a fiber-optic refractive index sensor.

We introduce an alternative type of probe for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Instead of using a needle-like tip made from a piece of metallic wire, a sharp-edged cleaved insulating substrate, which is initially covered by a thin conductive film, is used. The sharp tip is formed at the intersection of the two cleaved sides. Using this approach a variety of materials for STM probes can be used, and functionalization of STM probes is possible. The working principle of different probes made of metallic (Pt, Co, and CoB), indium-tin oxide, as well as Cu/Pt and Co/Pt multilayer films are demonstrated by STM imaging of clean Cu(001) and Cu(111) surfaces as well as the epitaxial Co clusters on Cu(111).

Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of Record (includes final page, issue and volume numbers)Please check the document version of this publication:• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website.• The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review.• The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.• Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.• You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. The release of photoluminescent InGaAsP photonic crystal nanocavity chiplets from the host chip for creating autonomous functional microparticles is demonstrated. A transfer printing method using a soft polymeric material as a stamp is used to transfer cavity arrays to other substrates. Alternatively, cavities are transferred individually by a nanomanipulation technique. The chiplets can be fully deterministically positioned on both the host chip and another substrate (glass) with the nanomanipulator. The chiplets have the striking property of spontaneously orienting themselves with their plane perpendicular to the receiving surface. At each stage of the process, the condition of the cavities as dependent on their immediate surroundings is monitored from their photoluminescence spectrum. V C 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx