Abstract
Electrical contacts between a metal probe and molecular monolayers have been characterized using conducting atomic force microscopy in an inert environment and in a voltage range that yields reversible current-voltage data. The current through alkanethiol monolayers depends on the contact force in a way that is accounted for by the change of chain-to-chain tunnelling with film thickness. The electronic decay constant, βN, was obtained from measurements as a function of chain length at constant force and bias, yielding βN = 0.8 ± 0.2 per methylene over a ± 3 V range. Current-voltage curves are difficult to reconcile with this almost constant value. Very different results are obtained when a gold tip contacts a 1, 8-octanedithiol film. Notably, the current-voltage curves are often independent of contact force. Thus the contact may play a critical role both in the nature of charge transport and the shape of the current-voltage curve.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-14 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Nanotechnology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2002 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Engineering (miscellaneous)
- Materials Science(all)
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Making electrical contacts to molecular monolayers. / Cui, X. D.; Zarate, X.; Tomfohr, J.; Sankey, O. F.; Primak, A.; Moore, Ana L; Moore, Thomas A; Gust, John Devens; Harris, G.; Lindsay, S. M.
In: Nanotechnology, Vol. 13, No. 1, 02.2002, p. 5-14.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Making electrical contacts to molecular monolayers
AU - Cui, X. D.
AU - Zarate, X.
AU - Tomfohr, J.
AU - Sankey, O. F.
AU - Primak, A.
AU - Moore, Ana L
AU - Moore, Thomas A
AU - Gust, John Devens
AU - Harris, G.
AU - Lindsay, S. M.
PY - 2002/2
Y1 - 2002/2
N2 - Electrical contacts between a metal probe and molecular monolayers have been characterized using conducting atomic force microscopy in an inert environment and in a voltage range that yields reversible current-voltage data. The current through alkanethiol monolayers depends on the contact force in a way that is accounted for by the change of chain-to-chain tunnelling with film thickness. The electronic decay constant, βN, was obtained from measurements as a function of chain length at constant force and bias, yielding βN = 0.8 ± 0.2 per methylene over a ± 3 V range. Current-voltage curves are difficult to reconcile with this almost constant value. Very different results are obtained when a gold tip contacts a 1, 8-octanedithiol film. Notably, the current-voltage curves are often independent of contact force. Thus the contact may play a critical role both in the nature of charge transport and the shape of the current-voltage curve.
AB - Electrical contacts between a metal probe and molecular monolayers have been characterized using conducting atomic force microscopy in an inert environment and in a voltage range that yields reversible current-voltage data. The current through alkanethiol monolayers depends on the contact force in a way that is accounted for by the change of chain-to-chain tunnelling with film thickness. The electronic decay constant, βN, was obtained from measurements as a function of chain length at constant force and bias, yielding βN = 0.8 ± 0.2 per methylene over a ± 3 V range. Current-voltage curves are difficult to reconcile with this almost constant value. Very different results are obtained when a gold tip contacts a 1, 8-octanedithiol film. Notably, the current-voltage curves are often independent of contact force. Thus the contact may play a critical role both in the nature of charge transport and the shape of the current-voltage curve.
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U2 - 10.1088/0957-4484/13/1/302
DO - 10.1088/0957-4484/13/1/302
M3 - Article
VL - 13
SP - 5
EP - 14
JO - Nanotechnology
JF - Nanotechnology
SN - 0957-4484
IS - 1
ER -