Dense arrays of Co nanocrystals epitaxially grown on ion-patterned Cu (110) substrates

We report on the growth of {111}-faceted Co nanocrystals endowed with fcc structure during multilayer epitaxial deposition on a flat Cu(110) substrate. Lateral ordering of the Co nanocrystals into a periodic array is achieved if the Co deposition is performed on a Cu(110) substrate, prepatterned by ion sculpting. While for low coverages the Co film growth is conformal, reproducing the underlying arrangement of the Cu substrate pattern, for film thicknesses above 16 monolayers, size-selected {111}-faceted Co nanocrystals nucleate in registry with the underlying pattern periodicity.