ORGANICS: Patterned Fabrication of Organic Conductors at the Nanoscale

本提案的目的：本提案的目的是开发用于在纳米尺度上制造图案化导电有机域的通用方法。 这将通过使用蘸笔纳米光刻（DPN）来完成，以在硅上制备双组分（有机供体/受体）电荷转移（CT）单层的图案化结构。 硅上CT单层的电性能将通过扫描探针显微镜进行测量，以确定其是否适用于电子器件应用，如晶体管和共振隧穿二极管，以及由这些器件功能构建的更复杂的电路。从分子组件制造逻辑和存储器设备是一个具有挑战性的目标，可以实现特殊用途的电子电路其比通过现有的硅（CMOS）技术制造的那些更小、更快和更便宜。 在纳米尺度上制造分子组件也带来了巨大的挑战，在合成（化学），明确表征（物理），并适应功能行为到有用的设备。 蘸笔纳米光刻（DPN）将首次用于在电子供体单层上提供纳米级精度的电子受体，以定义由分子制成的图案化导电区域。 如果有一天电子设备是由分子组装而成的，那么设备技术的新时代将诞生。虽然今天无法准确评估这种革命性技术转变的后果，但对制造业以及国家和全球经济的影响可能是巨大的。 该计划将吸引研究生和本科生的参与。 PI都积极参与其机构的教育推广计划，该计划旨在整合研究的见解和方法，并通过研究生以及普通公众通知和激励大学预科生。

Objective of this Proposal: The objective of this proposal is to develop general methods for the fabrication of patterned electrically conducting organic domains at the nanoscale. This will be accomplished by using dip pen nanolithography (DPN) to prepare patterned structures of two-component (organic donor/acceptor) charge transfer (CT) monolayers on silicon. The electrical properties of CT monolayers on silicon will be measured by scanning probe microscopies to determine suitability for electronic device applications such as transistors and resonant tunneling diodes, as well as more complex circuitry built from these device functionalities.Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact: The fabrication of logic and memory devices from molecular components is a challenging goal that could enable special purpose electronic circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and less expensive than those made by existing silicon (CMOS) technology. Fabricating molecular components at the nanometer scale also brings enormous challenges in synthesis (chemistry), characterizing unequivocally (physics), and adapting functional behavior into useful devices. Dip pen nanolithography (DPN) will be used for the first time to deliver with nanoscale precision electron acceptors over monolayers of electron donors to define patterned conducting regions made from molecules. If electronic devices are one day assembled from molecules, a new era in device technology would be born. While the consequences of such a revolutionary shift in technology cannot accurately be assessed today, the impact to manufacturing and the national and global economy could be significant. This program will engage the participation of graduate and undergraduate students. The PI's both actively participate in their institutions' educational outreach programs, which seek to integrate the insights and approaches of the research, and to inform and inspire pre-college through graduate students, as well as the general public.