The Physics of Charge Shuttling and Chemically-Engineered Nanoscale Devices

这是一个更新的个人研究奖，两名教授在马萨诸塞州，阿默斯特。 该项目的主要目标是通过精确设计的自组装分子级电子器件进行电荷传输的实验研究。 最近发现的机电电荷穿梭现象预计将在这些纳米器件中发挥重要作用-特别是因为这些器件具有可以移动和振动的部件。 该项目利用了一种器件制造方法，将最近开发的用于化学研究的分子识别组装技术与用于微电子研究的电子束光刻方法相结合。 胸腺嘧啶/二氨基三嗪分子识别对将被用来定位一个纳米级的颗粒之间的紧密间隔的平版印刷电极的中途。为了探索电荷穿梭和单电子充电效应的相互作用，将比较使用“硬弹簧”和“软弹簧”有机桥接分子的器件的传输特性。单电子晶体管的行为将与电容栅电极的使用进行研究。 该项目还包括在宏观尺度上对航天飞机动力学的研究，因为可以通过对更大尺寸的航天飞机装置的实验来揭示许多基本的认识。 这项研究可能会影响各种系统的开发和理解：由软/硬复合材料制成的纳米器件，柔性纳米系统，微机电（MEMS）器件，特定的生物系统，甚至是特定的宏观器件。 该研究项目将为研究生和博士后提供在凝聚态物理和化学这一跨学科领域的最先进技术和概念的培训。 这项培训将为学生在制药、工业或政府实验室的职业生涯做好准备。%小型化技术已经导致了更小、更强大的计算机、更智能的手持设备和功能增加的小工具。 然而，我们正在迅速接近极限，即通过标准技术的微电子器件的持续小型化将不再进行。因此，至关重要的是开发可靠的方法来创建一类在分子尺度上的设备。这是对位于阿默斯特的马萨诸塞州大学的两名研究人员的更新奖励，他们遵循自然界本身设定的强大范例-通过利用基于分子识别的自组装来构建纳米级结构。在这个项目中，新型的单电子晶体管器件以模仿生物分子能够识别其他特定分子的方式自行制造。 这些设备预计将通过一种不寻常的方式携带电力，这种方式涉及电子从一个地方“穿梭”到另一个地方。这项研究可能会影响各种系统的开发和理解：由分子和纳米颗粒制成的混合纳米器件，柔性纳米系统，微机电（MEMS）器件，特定的生物系统，甚至是特定的宏观器件。该研究项目将为研究生和博士后提供在凝聚态物理和化学这一跨学科领域的最先进技术和概念的培训。 这项培训将为学生在商业，工业或政府的职业生涯做好准备。

The is a renewal individual investigator award to two professors at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The primary objective of this project is to carry out an experimental investigation of charge transport through precisely-engineered, self-assembled molecular-scale electronic devices. The recently identified phenomenon of electromechanical charge shuttling is expected to play a significant role in these nanodevices -- in particular, because these devices have parts that can move and vibrate. This project utilizes a device fabrication approach that integrates recently developed molecular recognition assembly techniques usedin chemical research with electron-beam lithographic methods used in microelectronics research. Thymine/diaminotriazine molecular recognition pairs will be used to position a nanometer-scale particle midway between closely-spaced lithographic electrodes. To explore the interplay of charge shuttling and single-electron charging effects, transport characteristics will be compared for devices using "hard-spring" and "soft-spring" organic bridging molecules. Single-electron transistor behavior will be investigated with the use of a capacitive gate electrode. The project also includes investigations on shuttle dynamics at the macroscopic scale, since much fundamental understanding can be revealed through experiments on larger-sized shuttle devices. This research is likely to impact the development and understanding of a variety of systems: nanodevices made of soft/hard composites, flexible nanosystems, microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, specific biological systems, and even particular macroscopic devices. This research project will provide training for graduate students and post docs in state-of-the-art techniques and concepts in this interdisciplinary field involving condensed matter physics and chemistry. This training will prepare the students for careers in academe, industry, or government laboratories.%%%Miniaturization technology has resulted in smaller, more powerful computers, smarter handheld devices, and gadgets of increased functionality. However, we are rapidly approaching the limit where the continued miniaturization of microelectronic devices by standard techniques will proceed no further. As a consequence it is crucial to develop reliable methods to create a class of devices at the molecular-size scale. This is a renewal award to two investigators at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to follow the robust example set by nature itself - to construct nanometer-scale structures by exploiting self-assembly based on molecular recognition. In this project, novel single-electron transistor devices are self-fabricated in a fashion that mimics the way in which biological molecules are able to recognize other specific molecules. These devices are expected to carry electricity by an unusual means that involves electrons which are "shuttled" from one place to another. This research is likely to impact the development and understanding of a variety of systems: hybrid nanodevices made of molecules and nanoparticles, flexible nanosystems, microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, specific biological systems, and even particular macroscopic devices. This research project will provide training for graduate students and post docs in state-of-the-art techniques and concepts in this interdisciplinary field involving condensed matter physics and chemistry. This training will prepare the students for careers in academe, industry, or government.***