Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Molecular Heterojunctions Based on Strained Nanomembranes

Abstract

In this work, we combine self-assembly and top-down methods to create hybrid junctions consisting of single organic molecular monolayers sandwiched between metal and/or single-crystalline semiconductor nanomembrane based electrodes. The fabrication process is fully integrative and produces a yield loss of less than 5% on-chip. The nanomembrane-based electrodes guarantee a soft yet robust contact to the molecules where the presence of pinholes and other defects becomes almost irrelevant. We also pioneer the fabrication and characterization of semiconductor/molecule/semiconductor tunneling heterojunctions which exhibit a double transition from direct tunneling to field emission and back to direct tunneling, a phenomenon which has not been reported previously.

Towards compact three-dimensional magnetoelectronics—Magnetoresistance in rolled-up Co/Cu nanomembranes

“…[9][10][11] Based on this technique, it has been shown that nanomembranes consisting of different material systems (e.g., metals, oxides, semiconductors, and organics) offer a feasible route toward the fabrication of ultra-compact building blocks. 12,13 To date, it has been a challenge to apply the roll-up technique to more complex magnetic multilayer systems, including GMR layers. More recently, the first rolled-up architecture (length-15 mm and diameter-60 lm) with an integrated magnetic sensor has been realized.…”

Charge transport in organic nanocrystal diodes based on rolled-up robust nanomembrane contacts

“…Thus, the fabrication of a reliable robust top contact is expected to solve this tedious problem. Part of the authors of this report have developed a novel ‘rolled-up nanotechnology’ to tackle this challenge [17–19]. By this method, strained nanomembranes are released from a substrate surface and the elastic relaxation of the built-in strain gradient triggers a self-rolling process of the nanomembranes.…”

“…By this method, strained nanomembranes are released from a substrate surface and the elastic relaxation of the built-in strain gradient triggers a self-rolling process of the nanomembranes. The strained nanomembranes roll-up into full microtubes and finally land on top of the organic nanostructures, e.g., self-assembled monolayers and organic nanopyramids [17,19]. Compared to other ‘soft’ contact methods developed recently, including chemical binding [20–21], indirect evaporation [22–23], ‘ready-made’ approaches [24–25], and robust mechanical contacts [26–29], the rolled-up nanotechnology provides the precise positioned electrodes and high fabrication yield of array devices, and does not require the chemical modification of functional organic layers.…”

Surfaces and Interfaces of Nanoscale Silicon Materials

“…The Si nanomembrane is a novel and versatile class of nanostructures that exhibits a high degree of flexibility and conformational properties, offering a wide variety of applications in flexible electronics and strained technology [14][15][16][17]. Si nanomembranes are fabricated using silicon-oninsulator (SOI), which has become the platform substrate for microelectronics.…”