Single-molecule photo-spintronics

单分子光自旋电子学

• 批准号: EP/M00497X/1
• 负责人: Walther Schwarzacher
• 金额: $ 48.41万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2014 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FM00497X%2F1
• 关键词: Single; molecule; photo; spintronics

Spintronics is like electronics except that it uses the spin of the electron (a quantum mechanical property that behaves like angular momentum and is closely linked to magnetism) as well as the electron's electric charge. Using spin and charge together could lead to computers that use much less energy, for example. Photo-spintronics adds light to the mix. This is very useful because light can easily carry information over long distances (think of optic fibres). Light and spin are also key to future quantum technologies such as quantum computing and quantum information.Our research is to find ways of using organic molecules, based on chains and rings of carbon atoms, in photo-spintronics. This is an exciting prospect because carbon has a low atomic number which reduces the chances of losing spin information, and because there are so many different organic molecules and ways of linking them that the opportunities to find new and useful phenomena are practically endless. Our plan is to study single molecules linking a semiconductor and a magnetic metal. Single molecule experiments are difficult but not impossible, and we have made them successfully in the past using a modified scanning tunnelling microscope. Single molecule studies have helped greatly in understanding molecular electronics because studying molecules individually reveals information that is lost when they are measured in a large group. Ours will be the first single molecule studies in photo-spintronics. We will create a population of excited electrons in the semiconductor by illuminating it and use the polarization of the light to control the spin of the electrons. We will then measure the current between the semiconductor and the ferromagnetic metal. If the current depends on the polarization of the light and the direction in which the metal is magnetized, that will be evidence that spin is being transported through the molecules. Once we show that we can make photo-spintronic measurements through a single molecule, we will investigate how the spin transport depends on the type of semiconductor, the metal, the voltage between the two (known as the bias), and the types of chemical bond between the molecule and the semiconductor and metal. This will show us how best to use organic molecules in future spintronic and photo-spintronic devices.

自旋电子学类似于电子学，除了它使用电子的自旋（一种量子力学性质，其行为类似于角动量，并与磁性密切相关）以及电子的电荷。例如，同时使用自旋和电荷可以使计算机使用更少的能量。光自旋电子学将光添加到混合物中。这是非常有用的，因为光可以轻松地长距离传输信息（想想光纤）。光和自旋也是未来量子技术的关键，如量子计算和量子信息。我们的研究是找到在光自旋电子学中使用基于碳原子链和环的有机分子的方法。这是一个令人兴奋的前景，因为碳的原子序数较低，减少了丢失自旋信息的机会，而且因为有如此多的不同有机分子和连接它们的方式，发现新的和有用的现象的机会几乎是无穷无尽的。我们的计划是研究连接半导体和磁性金属的单分子。单分子实验是困难的，但并非不可能，我们已经成功地使他们在过去使用修改后的扫描隧道显微镜。单分子研究对理解分子电子学有很大帮助，因为单独研究分子可以揭示在大群体中测量时丢失的信息。我们的研究将是光自旋电子学领域的第一个单分子研究。我们将通过照射半导体来在半导体中产生一群受激电子，并利用光的偏振来控制电子的自旋。然后，我们将测量半导体和铁磁金属之间的电流。如果电流取决于光的偏振和金属被磁化的方向，这将是自旋通过分子传输的证据。一旦我们证明我们可以通过单个分子进行光自旋电子测量，我们将研究自旋输运如何取决于半导体，金属，两者之间的电压（称为偏压）以及分子与半导体和金属之间的化学键类型。这将向我们展示如何在未来的自旋电子和光自旋电子器件中最好地使用有机分子。

项目成果

Dual control of chemical equilibria through pH and potential in single-molecule devices

通过单分子装置中的 pH 值和电势双重控制化学平衡

• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
• 作者: Brooke Richard

Single-Molecule Photocurrent at a Metal-Molecule-Semiconductor Junction.

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b02762
• 发表时间: 2017-05
• 期刊: Nano letters
• 影响因子: 10.8
• 作者: A. Vezzoli;Richard J Brooke;S. Higgins;W. Schwarzacher;R. Nichols

Charge transport at a molecular GaAs nanoscale junction.

• DOI: 10.1039/c8fd00016f
• 发表时间: 2018-10
• 期刊: Faraday discussions
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: A. Vezzoli;Richard J Brooke;Nicoló Ferri;Carly Brooke;S. Higgins;W. Schwarzacher;R. Nichols

Single-Molecule Transport at a Rectifying GaAs Contact.

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04663
• 发表时间: 2017-01
• 期刊: Nano letters
• 影响因子: 10.8
• 作者: A. Vezzoli;Richard J Brooke;Nicoló Ferri;S. Higgins;W. Schwarzacher;R. Nichols

Molecular photoelectronics at a rectifying gallium arsenide interface

整流砷化镓界面的分子光电子学

• 发表时间: 2018
• 期刊: ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
• 作者: Vezzoli Andrea