Hybrid Approach to Fabricate Uniform and Active Molecular Junctions.
Nano Lett
; 21(4): 1606-1612, 2021 Feb 24.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33534584
ABSTRACT
Molecules can serve as ultimate building blocks for extreme nanoscale devices. This requires their precise integration into functional heterojunctions, most commonly in the form of metal-molecule-metal architectures. Structural damage and nonuniformities caused by current fabrication techniques, however, limit their effective incorporation. Here, we present a hybrid fabrication approach enabling uniform and active molecular junctions. A template-stripping technique is developed to form electrodes with sub-nanometer smooth surfaces. Combined with dielectrophoretic trapping of colloidal nanorods, uniform sub-5 nm junctions are achieved. Uniquely, in our design, the top contact is mechanically free to move under an applied stimulus. Using this, we investigate the electromechanical tuning of the junction and its tunneling conduction. Here, the molecules help control sub-nanometer mechanical modulation, which is conventionally challenging due to instabilities caused by surface adhesive forces. Our versatile approach provides a platform to develop and study active molecular junctions for emerging applications in electronics, plasmonics, and electromechanical devices.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nano Lett
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos