Single-molecule electrical contacts on silicon electrodes under ambient conditions

The ultimate goal in molecular electronics is to use individual molecules as the active electronic component of a real-world sturdy device. For this concept to become reality, it will require the field of single-molecule electronics to shift towards the semiconducting platform of the current microel...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Aragonès, Albert C., Darwish, Nadim, Ciampi, Simone, Sanz Carrasco, Fausto, Gooding, J. Justin, Díez Pérez, Ismael
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/121931
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/121931
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Electrònica molecular
Transport d'electrons
Microscòpia
Molecular electronics
Electron transport
Microscopy
Descripción
Sumario:The ultimate goal in molecular electronics is to use individual molecules as the active electronic component of a real-world sturdy device. For this concept to become reality, it will require the field of single-molecule electronics to shift towards the semiconducting platform of the current microelectronics industry. Here, we report silicon-based single-molecule contacts that are mechanically and electrically stable under ambient conditions. The single-molecule contacts are prepared on silicon electrodes using the scanning tunnelling microscopy break-junction approach using a top metallic probe. The molecular wires show remarkable current-voltage reproducibility, as compared to an open silicon/nano-gap/metal junction, with current rectification ratios exceeding 4,000 when a low-doped silicon is used. The extension of the single-molecule junction approach to a silicon substrate contributes to the next level of miniaturization of electronic components and it is anticipated it will pave the way to a new class of robust single-molecule circuits.