Research on Atomic Manipulation and Patterning on Kagome Structure Surface

Atomic manipulation technique plays a significant role in the controllable construction of novel quantum structures, the regulation of exotic physical properties, and the exploration of application prospects for new nano-electronic devices. Currently, most atomic manipulations are carried out on metal surfaces such as Cu(111) and Au(111), and on semiconductor surfaces such as Si and InAs. However, atomic manipulation in the field of Kagome structures has rarely been explored. In this research work, we have, for the first time, achieved precise manipulation of potassium (K) atoms and the construction of atomic patterns on the Sb surface of the Kagome KV₃Sb₅ through the ultra-high precision atomic manipulation technique of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). By using the STM probe to controllably slide and push K atoms, we have overcome the interference caused by the potential energy fluctuations on the Sb surface to directional atomic movement, successfully migrated K atoms along the lattice basis vectors for single and continuous multiple lattice spacings, and constructed a regular “BIT” atomic pattern. In addition, the experimental results have shown that the anisotropic potential energy benchmark provided for K atoms by the charge density wave (CDW)-induced symmetry breaking on the Sb surface significantly improves the manipulation accuracy. This research not only expands the application scope of atomic manipulation technique and demonstrates the feasibility of STM for atomic-level manipulation on complex Kagome material surfaces, but also provides important experimental evidence for the directional design of future nano-electronic devices at the atomic scale.