The power of surface chemistry to create atomically precise
nanoarchitectures
offers intriguing opportunities to advance the field of quantum technology.
Strategies for building artificial electronic lattices by individually
positioning atoms or molecules result in precisely tailored structures
but lack structural robustness. Here, taking the advantage of strong
bonding of Br atoms on noble metal surfaces, we report the production
of stable quantum corrals by dehalogenation of hexabromobenzene molecules
on a preheated Au(111) surface. The byproducts, Br adatoms, are confined
within a new surface reconstruction pattern and aggregate into nanopores
with an average size of 3.7 ± 0.1 nm, which create atomic orbital-like
quantum resonance states inside each corral due to the interference
of scattered electron waves. Remarkably, the atomic orbitals can be
hybridized into molecular-like orbitals with distinct bonding and
antibonding states. Our study opens up an avenue to fabricate quantum
structures with high yield and superior robustness.