Good control of spatial and size ordering of fe nanoparticles by xe-gas-assisted growth with a seeding layer

We demonstrate the fabrication of Fe nanoparticles with good spatial and size orderings by Xe-buffer-layer-assisted growth combined with a nanopatterned Au(111) surface. Fe nanoparticles of three atomic layers in height and 2.65 nm in diameter are fabricated by soft landing of Fe atoms on top of the predeposited nucleation seeds with the Xe-buffer-layer-assisted growth. This method is successfully used to control the nucleation toward the surface normal direction, whereby new deposited atoms are stacked on top of the existing ones to form taller nanoparticles, and is applicable to the growth of other nanostructures on various prepatterned surfaces.