A self-aligning nanostencil mask is used to fabricate circular features of tin, indium and silver on an atomically clean Si(001) substrate. The shadow mask limits deposited material to areas under openings in the mask, leaving adjacent clean areas for material to diffuse. STM, SEM and AFM have been used to study the surface diffusion of these metals in UHV. The diffusion of tin is relatively limited in comparison to the other metals. Indium forms metal islands that dissolve over time and contribute to the spreading of a surrounding single layer film. Lastly, silver forms a film that spreads even in the absence of metal islands.

A self-aligning nanostencil mask is used to fabricate circular features of tin, indium and silver on an atomically clean Si(001) substrate. The shadow mask limits deposited material to areas under openings in the mask, leaving adjacent clean areas for material to diffuse. STM, SEM and AFM have been used to study the surface diffusion of these metals in UHV. The diffusion of tin is relatively limited in comparison to the other metals. Indium forms metal islands that dissolve over time and contribute to the spreading of a surrounding single layer film. Lastly, silver forms a film that spreads even in the absence of metal islands.