Microfabrication and characterization of carbon/molecule/metal molecular junctions

• Author / Creator

  Ru, Jie

• Carbon/molecule/Cu/Au molecular junctions were fabricated on 4-inch silicon wafers using microfabrication techniques common in commercial semiconductor manufacturing. Electron-beam deposited carbon films are introduced as substrates, and the junctions exhibited high yield and excellent reproducibility. Current density-voltage characteristics of the devices were area scaling, weakly dependent on temperature and exponentially on molecular film
  thickness, and quantitatively similar to those of devices made with other techniques reported previously in our group, which contained pyrolyzed photoresist films as substrates. Furthermore, the test of cycle life and thermal
  stability reveals that the devices can survive at least under several millions of potential cycles at room temperature in air, and elevated temperature up to 150
  °C in vacuum for >40 hours. Parallel fabrication, thermal stability, and high yield are required for practical applications of molecular electronics, and the reported results provide important steps toward integration of molecular electronic devices with commercial processes and devices.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Molecular junction
  • Microfabrication
  • Electron transport
  • Molecular electronics
  • Carbon materials
  • Microelectronics

• Graduation date

  Spring 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3J64D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.