STM study of di-indenoperylene molecules on Cu(1 0 0) surfaces: Mobility, stability and epitaxy

We report a detailed study of the self-assembly process of di-indenoperylene (DIP) on Cu(1 0 0) surfaces, investigated by variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. During the initial growth stages a preferred nucleation at the step edges is revealed. Subsequently, large ordered 2D islands grow from the step edges, while smaller 2D islands form on the terrace sites. The equilibrium fluctuation of these 2D clusters has been monitored in real-time, thereby obtaining a direct insight into the temperature dependence of the molecular surface diffusion. The substrate–adsorbate interactions determine the azimuthal molecular orientation, finally lead to the formation of highly ordered chiral domains which are commensurate with the substrate.