Fabrication of interconnected 1D molecular lines along and across the dimer rows on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface through the radical chain reaction.

To realize nanoscale wiring in two dimensions (2D), the fabrication of interconnected one-dimensional (1D) molecular lines through the radical chain reaction of alkene molecules (CH2=CH-R) on the H-terminated Si(100)-(2 x 1) surface have been investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at 300 K. By the judicious choice of R in the CH2=CH-R molecule and by creating a dangling bond (DB) at a desired point using the STM tip, the perpendicularly connected allyl mercaptan (ALM) and styrene lines have been fabricated on the Si(100)-(2 x 1)-H surface. The continuous growth of the styrene line at the end DB of a growing ALM line (or vice versa) does not occur, perhaps, due to steric hindrance or/and interaction between adsorbed molecules.