Gold dots of 2.5 nm mean diameter and 0.8 nm standard deviation have been fabricated successfully on chromium oxide(CrOx)thin films. TheCrOxthin films were deposited on Si substrates by sputtering and gold dots were subsequently deposited by a retarding-field single ion deposition (RSID) technique. The formation of gold dots has been investigated systematically with landing energies from 100 to 900 eV and doses from 10 to40 C/m2.The dot diameter and density could be controlled by varying the landing energy and dose of gold ions arriving on the surface. The formation of single electron devices, quantum dots, nanopillars, and other nanoscale device structures is proposed using the RSID technique. ©1998 American Institute of Physics.