Generation and electrical contacting of gold quantum dots

We report on first tries in generating a system of 20-nm-wide parallel bars as templates for conductive gold wires, decorated with Au-55(PPh3)(12)Cl-6 clusters. The electrical characterization of these quasi one-dimensional arrangements shows pronounced nonlinearity, reflecting charging effects on the small clusters. Furthermore, very first results on the generation of 2.5-nm bars are also reported.