Adsorbate-Induced Modification of the Confining Barriers in a Quantum Box Array

Quantum
devices depend on addressable elements, which can be modified
separately and in their mutual interaction. Self-assembly at surfaces,
for example, formation of a porous (metal-) organic network, provides
an ideal way to manufacture arrays of identical quantum boxes, arising
in this case from the confinement of the electronic (Shockley) surface
state within the pores. We show that the electronic quantum box state
as well as the interbox coupling can be modified locally to a varying
extent by a selective choice of adsorbates, here C60, interacting
with the barrier. In view of the wealth of differently acting adsorbates,
this approach allows for engineering quantum states in on-surface
network architectures.