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Frontiers of Engineering Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2008 Symposium (2009) / Chapter Skim
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Molecular and Polymer Nanodevices--Nikolai Zhitenev
Pages 53-58

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 53...
... One of the recommended vectors is devices that operate with state variables different from an electronic charge. One possibility would be a solid-state switch with the computational state defined by the spatial locations of heavy particles, such as ions, atoms, or molecular conformations.
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From page 54...
... In this presentation, I will describe some examples from our research that illustrate some of the challenges of fabricating and characterizing molecular devices. Before we began designing a molecular switch or transistor, we tested simpler building blocks in the molecular "tool box," such as molecular "wires" and molecular "barriers." The investigation of the electronic properties of molecular devices is intimately related to research on alternative fabrication routes that can be compatible with the new materials.
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From page 55...
... In general, the electronic levels of molecules were strongly shifted from the Fermi level of metal electrodes, typically by 1 to 5 eV, and the tunneling conductance of such mismatched systems was too low for practical applications. Defects that created electronic states 50 to 200 meV from the Fermi energy level contributed significantly to electronic transport and defined overall behavior.
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From page 56...
... These electronic states, with energy levels of 100–300 meV from the Fermi level, form the conducting channels. A strong electric field of the opposite polarity pushes the separated cations back, facilitating the recombination with anions at the polymer backbone and eliminating the conductive electronic levels.
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From page 57...
... CONCLUSION The use of switching in memory and storage devices has been the main driver for the development of switches by most of the major semiconductor companies. However, if the switching phenomenon can be reliably engineered in devices of sufficiently small size, this will lead to the emergence of new hybrid logic circuits based on novel architectural concepts (Strukov and Likharev, 2007)
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Key Terms

  • molecular layer
  • electronic levels
  • fermi level
  • electric field
  • energy levels

  • electronic charge
  • applied voltage
  • short molecules
  • metal electrodes
  • fabrication issues

  • switching functionality
  • electronic properties
  • ion separation
  • opposite polarity
  • electronic states

  • fermi energy
  • voltage levels
  • semiconductor companies
  • molecular junctions
  • molecular switch

  • conductive electronic
  • molecular monolayers
  • entire molecular
  • molecular species
  • mesoscale molecular

  • characterizing molecular
  • molecular electronics
  • molecular energy
  • electronic conducting
  • molecular conformations


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