The metal/organic monolayer interface in molecular electronic devices

✍ Scribed by Dominique Vuillaume; Stéphane Lenfant

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 513 KB
• Volume: 70
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-9317
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-9317(03)00458-1

✦ Synopsis

The metal / molecules / metal is the basic device used to measure the electronic properties of organic molecules envisioned as the key components in molecular-scale devices (molecular diode, molecular wire, molecular memory, etc.). This review paper describes the main techniques used to fabricate a metal / molecules / metal device (or more generally electrode / molecules / electrode junctions, with electrodes made of metal or semiconductor). We discuss several problems encountered for the metallization of organic monolayers. The organic / electrode interface plays a strong role in the electronic properties of these molecular devices. We review some results on the relationships between the nature of the electrode / molecule interface (physisorbed or chemisorbed, evaporated metal electrode, mechanical contact, etc.) and the electronic transport properties of these molecular-scale devices. We also discuss the effects of symmetric versus asymmetric coupling of the two ends of the molecules with the electrodes.