Introduction to Moletronics
Unit-4Lecture-1
• Molecular electronics sometimes called
moletronics first coined by Mark Ratner, in
1974
• Molecular electronics involves the
replacement of a wire, transistor or
other basic solid-state (usually silicon)
electronic element with one or a few
molecules.
• Simple molecular electronic devices
usually consist of organic molecules
sandwiched between conducting
electrodes.
APPLICATIONS
•Molecular wire
•Diode, rectifier
•Molecular switches
•Molecular memory
•Sensors
•Optics and optical switches
•Displays
•Electrochemical devices
•Molecular heterostructure and quantum well
devices
ADVANTAGES OF MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS
1. SIZE
• Molecular Electronics is a way to extend Moore’s
Law past the limits of standard semiconductor
Circuits.
• 100X smaller than their counterparts
[Link] / SPEED
• Currently Transistors cannot be stacked, which
makes them quite inefficient!
• Molecular technology will be able to add a 3rd
dimension.
• Femtoseconds switching times.
3. MANUFACTURING
• Most designs use Self-Assembly process.
• Molecular assembly tends to occur at Room
Temperature.
Molecular Switching Devices
• Electric-field controlled molecular
switching devices including quantum-
effect molecular electronic devices
• Photoactive/photochromic molecular
switching devices
• Electrochemical molecular devices
• Electromechanical molecular electronic
devices
Present Scenario:
1. Molecular transistor
Once a conducting molecule is set between 2
contacts, an additional electrode has be
introduced as gate. There are various
possibilities:
i)Back gate: a molecule attached to source
and drain electrodes on an oxidized metal or
heavily doped Si gate (substrate). This is the
same configuration of the Thin Film
Transistors
ii)Electrochemical gate: A molecule bridged between
source and drain electrodes in an electrolyte in which
a gate field is applied by a third electrode inserted in
the electrolyte.
iii)Chemical gate: Current through the
molecule is controlled via a reversible chemical
event, such as binding, reaction, doping or
complexation.
[Link] Gate : OR
A A B C
A 0 0 0
C C
B 1 0 1
R B 0 1 1
1 1 1
V-
Donor CH2 Acceptor
wire
Donor CH2 Acceptor
Long HC
Conjugated aromatic organic molecules
• This structure exhibits the classical semiconductor
OR gate behaviour.
• As shown, the single molecule OR gate consists of (i)
two conducting wires each having a donating section
as well an accepting section and (ii) a respective
insulating group inserted between the accepting and
donating sections.
• The acceptor sections of the conducting wires are
bonded together forming a conducting node to
which an insulating aliphatic group is connected and
extended by a conducting wire such as the
polyphenylene based wire to act as the output C.
[Link]
A nanocell is a two-dimensional (2-D)
network of self-assembled metallic particles
connected by molecules that show
reprogrammable (can be turned ON or OFF)
negative differential resistance (NDR).
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• Molecular wire having alligator clip
INPUT OUTPUT
Metallic nanoparticles
which are connected by 1mm
functional molecules
• The central processing unit of the molecular
computer would be comprised of arrays of
nanocells wherein each nanocell would have
the functionality of many transistors working
in concert.
FUTURE SCOPE:
Molecular electronics not only represents the
final technological state in the miniaturization
of the Computer circuitry, it also provides
promising new methodologies for:
• high speed signal processing
• holographic associative memories
• three dimensional optical memories etc.,
MOLECULAR ELECTRONICS CHALLENGES:
None of the following issues have yet been
demonstrated:
• self-assembly of single devices at reasonable (or
small) integration densities with conducting
molecular wires;
• appropriate yield of devices from chemical or
biological reactions for fabricating or
manufacturing of circuits;
• high data bandwidths for interconnects;
• the potential for low cost per bit has not been
demonstrated.
Atomic-scale junctions: an overview
• Single-molecule junctions serve as a versatile
atomic-scale laboratory for quantum
electronic transport .
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1998 :Break through Experiment
M. A. Reed, C. Zhou, C. J. Muller, T. P. Burgin, and J. M.
Tour, “Conductance of a molecular junction,” Science, vol.
278, p. 252, 1997.
Experimental data are available
for two-terminal configurations Benzene
C6H6
Benzene-1,4-dithiolate
between metallic
gold contacts.
• The formation of such molecular junctions, where a
molecule is suspended as a bridge between two
metallic electrodes, was greatly facilitated by the
development of the mechanically controllable break
junction technique .
• In a break junction , molecules are introduced to a
metallic junction while it is stretched.
• As a result, the junction is thinned to an atomic scale
contact and eventually it breaks to form two electrode
apexes.
• In some cases, a molecule is trapped between the
electrodes, forming a single-molecule junction
tetrahydro-furan(THF)
• mechanically
controllable break
junction (MCB)
process
room temperature
phenomenon
benzene-1,4-dithiol
was adsorbed from
solution in tetrahydro-
furan(THF) onto the
gold electrodes
mechanically
controllable break
junction (MCB) process
One molecule forms
the bridge between
the electrodes
• Fabrication and characterization methods for molecular
devices have not been well developed so far. Hence role of the
theoretical studies is very much required.
• Major challenges in the making and use of single- molecule
electronic devices comprise:
– the quest for functional molecules
– their addressability
– their integration into a nanoscale circuitry
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To summarize
To utilize single molecules that function as self contained
electronic devices we need to explore
• What principles underlie the operation of nano scale
devices?
• What controls current flow and hence conductance in
molecules ?
• What classes of molecules make good devices?
• How best to deal with geometry, contact, quantum
interference and charging effects … ?
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“Today’s science fiction is often
tomorrow’s science fact.”
-Stephen Hawking