Analysis of programmable molecular electronic systems

Abstract

The continuing scaling down in size of microelectronics devices has motivated the development of molecular electronic devices, often called moletronics, which use molecules to function as electronic devices. One of the moletronics is the programmable molecular array. In this device, disordered arrays of metallic islands are interlinked by molecules. It is addressed by a small number of input/output leads located on the periphery of the device. In this dissertation, a thorough investigation of the programmable molecular array is performed. First, theoretical calculations for single molecules are carried out. The effect of bias voltage on the electron transmission through the molecule is reported. Next, electrical measurements are conducted on programmable molecular arrays. Negative differential resistance and memory phenomena are found. The electrical characteristics of the programmable molecular array populated with different molecules indicate that the metallic islands contribute to the above phenomena. The electrical conductance through the metallic islands is investigated, and conformational change of the metallic islands under bias is reported. Furthermore, a scenario is proposed to use molecular vibronics and electrostatic potential to transport and process signals inside the programmable molecular array. Simulated results are presented.