Single Molecule Spintronics

大多数信息处理设备，包括最先进的微芯片，都依赖于电荷的运动。然而，电子除了拥有电荷外，还具有称为自旋的量子力学性质，例如，自旋是导致磁性现象的原因。依靠自旋运动来执行其功能的设备被称为磁电子或自旋电子设备。自旋电子学应用可能包括超高速开关或组合逻辑/存储设备。最近的理论研究预测，有机分子将成为自旋电子器件的优秀组件（Rocha et al., Nature Materials, 2005）。因此，测量有机分子的自旋输运性质是一个极其重要的目标。我们最近表明，高分辨率探针显微镜（扫描隧道显微镜或‘STM’）可用于测量各种环境（包括溶液）中单个分子的电学性质。我们首次提出将这些方法应用于测量有机分子线的自旋电子性质，使其达到单分子水平。这将有助于科学地理解自旋是如何通过分子传递的。

Most information processing devices, including state of the art microchips, rely on the movement of charge. However, electrons as well as possessing charge also have the quantum mechanical property called spin, which is responsible for magnetic phenomena, for example. Devices which rely on the movement of spin to perform their function are known as magnetoelectronic or spintronic devices. Spintronic applications could include ultra-fast switches or combined logic / storage devices.Recent theoretical studies predict that organic molecules would make excellent components for spintronic devices (Rocha et al., Nature Materials, 2005). Therefore, to measure the spin transport properties of organic molecules is an extremely important goal. We have recently shown that a high resolution probe microscope (a scanning tunnelling microscope or 'STM') can be used to measure the electrical properties of single molecules in a wide variety of environments, including solutions. We propose to adapt these methods to measure the spintronic properties of organic molecular wires down to the single molecule level for the first time. This will contribute to the scientific understanding of how spin is transported through molecules.