Electrochemical fabrication of large arrays of metal nanoclusters

Tip-induced metal deposition was employed to fabricate large, micrometer-size arrays of Cu nanoclusters on Au(111) electrodes. The fully-automated process allowed to produce clusters of uniform size at a rate of 50 Hz. An array of 10 4 Cu clusters placed on Au(111) at intervals of 11 nm was generated within 17 min. It is demonstrated that the cluster fabrication procedure allows us to surmount several monoatomically high steps in the substrate, indicating that this type of nanostructuring does not require perfectly flat surfaces. No sign of a depletion of the deposited metal has been noted even after production of 10 4 Cu clusters. The externally controlled tip approach employed for the cluster generation, was also used to determine the tunnel barrier in an electrochemical environment. With this method a tunnel barrier of 1.5±0.1 eV was found.