Controlled Surface functionalization via self-selective metal adsorption and pattern transformation on vicinal Si(111) surface

We demonstrate a self-selective metal adsorption and pattern transformation process on vicinal Si(111) surfaces. When Au atoms are deposited onto the self-organized periodic Si(111) surface patterns, the Au atoms self-select to adsorb predominantly onto one of the two distinct domains, the Si(111) terrace or the step-bunched facet, at different Au coverage. This leads to a systematic transformation of the surface pattern, whose domain population changes while its periodicity remains intact with the increasing Au coverage. A stress-domain model is used to explain the observed phenomenon. Our findings suggest a unique method for controlled functionalization of surfaces at the nanoscale, as illustrated further by domain- selective self-assembly of uniform CoSi$_2$ nanoclusters on the Au-functionalized vicinal Si(111) surface.