Nanoscale surface recrystallization driven by localized electric field

Localized recrystallization of surface atoms has been conducted on the (111) surface of gold with a spatially confined electric field under the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope at room temperature. Scanning an area with a high electric field causes the loss of long-range order within the scanned area via field induced lateral atomic displacement. Upon the removal of the field, the surface atoms reorganize into a new structure, giving rise to the observed process of nanoscale recrystallization.

Figure 1

(Color online) STM images $(250\times 250\mathrm{nm})$ showing the reorganization of gold atoms on the Au(111) surface following scanning with a high electric field. Panels (c) and (d) are magnified views of the region within the rectangles in (a) and (b), respectively.

Figure 2

(Color online) STM images showing the disruption of the ordered surface during high field scanning. (a) Scanning with low field; (b) scanning with high field.