Single-molecule spectroscopy of conjugated molecules between nanoscale metallic structures

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The use of single conjugated molecules as active components in electronic devices is presently considered an alternative to semiconductor based nano-electronics since it directly provides well-defined nano-scale building blocks. However, a detailed understanding of the metal-molecule contacts and the electron transport mechanisms in such devices has not yet been achieved. Here, thiol-functionalized conjugated polymers shall be deposited between nanolithographically prepared gold bow-tie nanoantennas. These nanoantennas provide huge enhancements of incident electro-magnetic fields thereby allowing for single-molecule surface-enhanced Ramanspectroscopy studies which are expected, together with scattering and single-molecule fluorescence investigations, to give more insight into the nature of the molecule-metal contacts. The uncharted regime of simultaneous measurement of optical and electron transport properties of single molecules shall be attempted by applying electric fields to nanoantennas bridged by conjugated molecules which is expected to give new insights into the electron transport mechanisms through single molecules.