Optical spectroscopy of molecular electronic devices

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Molecular Electronics is a new field in which molecules are incorporated as active elements in microelectronic circuits, in order to realize new functions. The possibility of augmenting or replacing silicon-based microelectronics with molecular electronic devices has enormous consequences, potentially including lower cost, lower power consumption, new functions such as chemical sensing and non-volatile memory, and unusual interactions with light, including display technology and solar energy conversion. The proposed research seeks to understand how molecular structure controls the transport of electrons through molecular components, the most fundamental process of Molecular Electronics. In particular, we propose to investigate "resonant" electron transport through molecular orbitals, a phenomenon which not only enables extensive molecular circuits but also provides a means to rationally design new electronic components using the huge number of molecular structures available from chemistry. The approach exploits several established concepts from electrochemistry, but applied in a new environment of a very thin (~10 nm) solid state molecular layer. These concepts include resonant electron transfer, activated redox reactions, and electrode screening by ionic "double layers". Optical spectroscopy is a key element of the proposed effort, since it provides a diagnostic probe of molecular structure which is applicable to finished, working molecular electronic devices. Both the highly reproducible molecular device design and the ability to perform "live" spectroscopy are unique to the NINT/U.Alberta laboratory, and provide an excellent platform and "tool box" for investigating molecular electronics.