Optical spectroscopy of molecular electronic devices

分子电子学是在微电子电路中引入分子作为活性元件以实现新功能的一个新领域。用分子电子器件扩大或取代硅基微电子设备的可能性具有巨大的后果，可能包括更低的成本、更低的功耗、新的功能，如化学传感和非易失性存储器，以及与光的不寻常的相互作用，包括显示技术和太阳能转换。这项拟议的研究旨在了解分子结构如何控制电子通过分子组件的传输，这是分子电子学最基本的过程。特别是，我们建议研究通过分子轨道的“共振”电子传输，这一现象不仅使分子电路得以广泛应用，而且为利用化学中大量的分子结构合理设计新的电子元件提供了一种手段。该方法利用了几个已有的电化学概念，但适用于非常薄(~10 nm)的固态分子层的新环境。这些概念包括共振电子转移、激活的氧化还原反应和离子“双电层”的电极筛选。光学光谱学是这项拟议工作的关键要素，因为它提供了一种适用于成品、工作的分子电子器件的分子结构诊断探针。NINT/U阿尔伯塔实验室独有的高度可重复性的分子装置设计和进行“实时”光谱分析的能力，为研究分子电子学提供了一个极好的平台和“工具箱”。

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.