In this thesis, I explore model systems for planar atomic and molecular scale electronics on surfaces. The nanoscale systems are experimentally investigated by combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with atomic and molecular manipulation. Furthermore, the on-surface chemical synthesis of molecules, as well as the construction of atomic wires on selected surfaces is applied. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules play a key role in this work, as they can provide the functionality of the molecular scale devices. In the first part of this work, I investigate different PAH´s on the Au(111) surface. The precursor molecules form supramolecular assemblies and the on-surface synthesis approach to obtain the desired molecular products is used. In particular, bisanthene molecules via a cyclodehydrogenation reaction and the non-alternant polyaromatic hydrocarbon diindenopyrene after a thermally induced debromination followed by selective ring-closure to form a five-membered ring are obtained. An interesting surface for future applications is the passivated silicon Si(001)-(2x1):H. I prepare this surface and characterize the substrate. The surface has a band gap and molecules are electronically decoupled from the semiconducting substrate due to the passivation layer. Furthermore, atomic defects on this substrate, so called dangling bonds (DB´s), have defined electronic states. I show that it is possible to produce DB defects controllably by applying voltage pulses using the tip of the STM and achieve with this method atomic wires with DB´s. The third part of this thesis deals with the investigation of molecular structures on Si(001)-(2x1):H. I present the generation of hexacene by a surface assisted reduction. This result can be generalized for the generation of PAH´s after deoxygenation on passivated silicon and can open new routes to design functional molecules on this substrate. Secondly, one-dimensional chains of acetylbiphenyl (ABP) molecules are explored. They interact via its pi-stacked phenyl rings that are considered as conducting channel. Finally, I demonstrate that a single ABP molecule acts as a switch, as one can reversibly passivate and depassivate a single DB by a hydrogen transfer. In the last part of this work, I test the new low-temperature four-probe STM located at CEMES-CNRS in Toulouse. This machine is constructed for the development of molecular scale devices. For this purposes an atomic precision is needed for all the different tips at the same time and a high stability of this scanning probe microscope must be achieved. I perform a manipulation experiment of molecules to test the necessary submolecular precision. For that reason, supramolecular assemblies of ABP molecules on Au(111) are imaged and manipulated by any of the four tips using the lateral manipulation mode as well as by voltage pulses. The stability of the system is shown, as all tips of the four-probe STM work independently in parallel.:1 Introduction 2 Fundamentals of scanning tunneling microscopy 2.1 The working principle 2.2 Scanning tunneling spectroscopy 2.3 Manipulation modes 2.4 Modeling 3 Experimental setup, materials and methods 3.1 The scanning tunneling microscope 3.2 The Au(111) surface 3.3 Further experimental details 4 On-surface synthesis of molecules 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Generation of a periacene 4.3 Investigating a non-alternant PAH 4.4 Conclusion 5 The passivated silicon surface 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Preparation of passivated silicon 5.3 Characterization of Si(001)-(2x1):H 5.4 Tip-induced formation of dangling bonds 5.5 Conclusion 6 Organic molecules on passivated silicon 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Hexacene generated on passivated silicon 6.3 Acetylbiphenyl on passivated silicon 6.4 Conclusion 7 Testing a low temperature four-probe STM 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The four-probe STM 7.3 Performance test of the four-probe STM on Au(111) 7.4 Manipulation of ABP assemblies 7.5 Conclusion 8 Summary and outlook 9 Appendix 9.1 Dibromo-dimethyl-naphtalene on Au(111) 9.2 Epiminotetracene on Au(111) Bibliography Curriculum vitae Scientific contributions Acknowledgement Statement of authorship / In dieser Arbeit untersuche ich Modellsysteme für planare atomare und molekulare Elektronik auf Oberflächen. Die Systeme auf der Nanoskala werden experimentell durch die Kombination aus Rastertunnelmikroskopie (RTM) und atomarer sowie molekularer Manipulation untersucht. Moleküle werden durch die oberflächenchemische Synthese generiert und atomare Drähte auf ausgewählten Oberflächen hergestellt. Polyzyklisch aromatische Kohlenwasserstoff (PAK) Moleküle spielen bei dieser Arbeit eine Schlüsselrolle, da sie die passiven und aktiven Elemente auf molekularem Maßstab darstellen können. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit untersuche ich verschiedene PAK´s auf der Au(111)-Oberfläche. Die Präkursoren bilden dabei supramolekulare Anordnungen und ich nutze die Oberflächensynthese, um die gewünschten molekulare Produkte zu erhalten. Im Speziellen habe ich Bisanthen-Moleküle über eine Zyklodehydrogenationsreaktion und das nicht-alternierende PAK Diindenopyren erzeugt. Dieses entsteht nach einer thermisch-induzierten Debromierung gefolgt von selektivem Ringschluss, sodass ein fünfgliedriger Ring gebildet wird. Eine interessante Oberfläche für zukünftige Anwendungen ist das passivierte Silizium Si(001)-(2x1):H. Ich habe diese Oberfläche erfolgreich präpariert und das Substrat charakterisiert. Die Oberfläche hat eine Bandlücke und Moleküle sind elektronisch von dem halbleitenden Substrat durch die Passivierungsschicht entkoppelt. Desweiteren haben atomare Defekte dieser Oberfläche, sogenannte Dangling-Bond´s (DB’s), definierte elektronische Zustände innerhalb der Bandlücke. Ich habe DB´s kontrolliert durch Spannungspulse mithilfe der Spitze des RTM erzeugt und stelle so atomare Drähte mit DB Defekten her. Der dritte Teil dieser Arbeit befasst sich mit der Untersuchung molekularer Strukturen auf Si(001)-(2x1):H. Die Erzeugung von Hexacen auf passivierten Silizium durch eine oberflächenunterstützte Reduktion wird gezeigt. Dieses Ergebnis ist eine neue Strategie für die Herstellung von PAK´s nach der Deoxygenierung und eröffnet neue Wege um funktionelle Moleküle auf diesem Substrat zu entwerfen. Zweitens zeige ich, dass Acetylbiphenyl (ABP) Moleküle eindimensionale Ketten auf dieser Oberfläche bilden. Diese interagieren über ihre Phenylringe, welche als leitender Kanal gesehen werden können. Zudem kann ein einzelnes ABP Molekül wie ein Schalter genutzt werden, da es reversibel einzelne DB´s durch Wasserstoffübertragung passivieren und depassivieren kann. Im letzten Teil dieser Arbeit wird das neue Tieftemperatur Vier-Sonden RTM, welches sich in CEMES-CNRS in Toulouse befindet, getestet. Diese Maschine ist für die Herstellung und Untersuchung von Geräten im molekularem Maßstab konstruiert worden. Zu diesem Zweck ist eine atomare Präzision für die verschiedenen Spitzen zur gleichen Zeit erforderlich und eine hohe Stabilität des Rastersondenmikroskops muss gewährleistet sein. Ich führe ein Manipulationsversuch an Molekülen durch, um die notwendige submolekulare Präzision zu testen. Dafür werden supramolekulare Anordnungen von ABP-Molekülen auf Au(111) abgebildet und die Strukturen mit jeder der vier Spitzen im lateralen Manipulationsmodus und durch Spannungpulse bewegt. Damit habe ich die Stabilität des Systems getestet und konnte zeigen, dass alle Spitzen des Systems unabhängig voneinander parallel arbeiten.:1 Introduction 2 Fundamentals of scanning tunneling microscopy 2.1 The working principle 2.2 Scanning tunneling spectroscopy 2.3 Manipulation modes 2.4 Modeling 3 Experimental setup, materials and methods 3.1 The scanning tunneling microscope 3.2 The Au(111) surface 3.3 Further experimental details 4 On-surface synthesis of molecules 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Generation of a periacene 4.3 Investigating a non-alternant PAH 4.4 Conclusion 5 The passivated silicon surface 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Preparation of passivated silicon 5.3 Characterization of Si(001)-(2x1):H 5.4 Tip-induced formation of dangling bonds 5.5 Conclusion 6 Organic molecules on passivated silicon 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Hexacene generated on passivated silicon 6.3 Acetylbiphenyl on passivated silicon 6.4 Conclusion 7 Testing a low temperature four-probe STM 7.1 Introduction 7.2 The four-probe STM 7.3 Performance test of the four-probe STM on Au(111) 7.4 Manipulation of ABP assemblies 7.5 Conclusion 8 Summary and outlook 9 Appendix 9.1 Dibromo-dimethyl-naphtalene on Au(111) 9.2 Epiminotetracene on Au(111) Bibliography Curriculum vitae Scientific contributions Acknowledgement Statement of authorship

Progress in chemomechanical functionalization was made by investigating the binding of molecules and surface coverage on the silicon surface, demonstrating functionalization of silicon with gases by chemomechanical means, analyzing atomic force microscopy probe tip wear in atomic force microscopy (AFM) chemomechanical nanografting, combining chemomechanical functionalization and nanografting to pattern silicon with an atomic force microscope, and extending chemomechanical nanografting to silicon dioxide. Molecular mechanics of alkenes and alkynes bound to Si(001)-2x1 as a model of chemomechanically functionalized surfaces indicated that complete coverage is energetically favorable and becomes more favorable for longer chain species. Scribing a silicon surface in the presence of ethylene and acetylene demonstrated chemomechanical functionalization with gaseous reagents, which simplifies sample cleanup and adds a range of reagents to those possible for chemomechanical functionalization. Thermal desorption spectroscopy was performed on chemomechanically functionalized samples and demonstrated the similarity in binding of molecules to the scribed silicon surface and to the common Si(001)-2x1 and Si(111)-7x7 surfaces. The wearing of atomic force microscope probe tips during chemomechanical functionalization was investigated by correlating change over time and force with widths of created lines to illustrate the detrimental effect of tip wear on mechanically-driven nanopatterning methods. In order to have a starting surface more stable than hydrogen-terminated silicon, silicon reacted with 1-octene was used as a starting surface for AFM chemomechanical functionalization, producing chemomechanical nanografting. Chemomechanical nanografting was then demonstrated on silicon dioxide using silane molecules; the initial passivating layer reduced the tip friction on the surface to allow only partial nanografting of the silane molecules. These studies broadened the scope and understanding of chemomechanical functionalization and nanografting.

Organic semiconductors show promise to yield a novel class of bendable electronic devices, and much research efforts have focused on the optimization of these films for device performance. It is well known that the structure of organic films has a large influence over the electronic properties. In particular, the carrier mobility is often highly anisotropic, and domain boundaries have a detrimental effect on charge transport. Therefore the domain structure and lattice orientation are of particular interest. However, little is known about the domain structure of organic films, and techniques to study these properties have only begun to emerge in recent years. In this thesis, we apply two experimental techniques, Grazing-Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXD) and Lateral Force Microscopy (LFM), toward studying the lattice and domain structure of tetracene films grown on the silicon(001)-monohydride surface. We describe the necessary steps toward optimizing the sensitivity of these techniques to the domain structure. Results show that the crystalline tetracene films form a layered morphology in which the a-b plane lies parallel to the substrate surface. The film lattice structure is similar to bulk tetracene, and the lattice is confined to two orthogonal orientations, forming a partially-commensurate relationship with the substrate surface lattice along the film 'a' axis. LFM images reveal two types of polycrystalline domains. The first type ("major domains") are tens of microns in size, and are classified by their lattice orientation. They are subdivided into the second type ("sub-domains"), which range from 0.1 to 5um in size, and are argued to represent regions of uniform molecular tilt direction. The GIXD data show that the single-crystal domains which comprise these two larger domain types are anisotropic in size, being up to two times longer along the film 'b' axis than along 'a'. The single-crystal domains range from 0.05 to 0.2um in size, depending on lattice orientation and film thickness. The mathematical basis for these single-crystal domain size calculations is presented. The single-crystal domain sizes are thickness-dependent, and are two orders of magnitude smaller than a typical surface island observed in atomic-force microscopy (AFM) topographs. Substrate steps can also significantly influence the film structure by inducing boundaries in the single-crystal domains and sub-domains, but not in the major domains. This detailed knowledge of the domain structure of organic thin-films may assist in our understanding of the factors which affect charge transport in thin films, and may help to direct research efforts in optimizing the film structure for device performance. / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT).