Single-Molecule Transport at a Rectifying GaAs Contact



Vezzoli, Andrea ORCID: 0000-0002-8059-0113, Brooke, Richard J, Ferri, Nicolo ORCID: 0000-0002-7329-5423, Higgins, Simon J ORCID: 0000-0003-3518-9061, Schwarzacher, Walther and Nichols, Richard J ORCID: 0000-0002-1446-8275
(2017) Single-Molecule Transport at a Rectifying GaAs Contact. NANO LETTERS, 17 (2). pp. 1109-1115.

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Abstract

In most single- or few-molecule devices, the contact electrodes are simple ohmic resistors. Here we describe a new type of single-molecule device in which metal and semiconductor contact electrodes impart a function, namely, current rectification, which is then modified by a molecule bridging the gap. We study junctions with the structure Au STM tip/X/n-GaAs substrate, where "X" is either a simple alkanedithiol or a conjugated unit bearing thiol/methylthiol contacts, and we detect current jumps corresponding to the attachment and detachment of single molecules. From the magnitudes of the current jumps we can deduce values for the conductance decay constant with molecule length that agree well with values determined from Au/molecule/Au junctions. The ability to impart functionality to a single-molecule device through the properties of the contacts as well as through the properties of the molecule represents a significant extension of the single-molecule electronics "tool-box".

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: STM, single molecule junctions, gallium arsenide, Schottky diode, rectification
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2017 11:38
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 07:15
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04663
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3006118

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