Morphology of iron silicide nanorods formed by electron-beam-induced deposition using ultrahigh-vacuum transmission electron microscope

We have fabricated Fe suicide nanorods on Si(111) substrates by both deposition at high temperatures and electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID), and observed them with an ultrahigh-vacuum transmission electron microscope. The formation of either nanotriangles or nanorods was observed depending on the surface geometry of the substrates. The nanorods grew along one of the Si〈110〉 directions. In the case of EBID, the size and position of the deposits were controlled by adjusting irradiation time and the position of the electron beams. The longest rods almost reached about 100 nm in length with a 10 nm width.