Two- and three-terminal molecular electronic devices with ballistic electron transport

• US 9,024,297 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Research Council Canada, The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Original Assignee: National Research Council Canada, The Governors of the University of Alberta (University of Alberta)
• Inventors: McCreery, Richard L., Bergren, Adam Johan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tram H
• Application Number:
  US13/822,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20130221325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 257/29, 257/26, 257/12, 257/103, 257/104, 257/183, 257/66, 257/72, 257/223, 257/227, 257/292, 257/439, 257/443, 257/655, 257/E27.1, 257/E27.125, 257/E27.112, 257/E29.117, 257/E29.145, 257/E29.147, 257/E29.182, 257/E29.202, 257E29273-E29299, 257/E29.314, 257/E29.32, 257/E23.016, 438/149, 438/163
• US Class Current: 257/26
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/00 Organic devices specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching; Organic capacitors or resistors having potential barriers integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/701 Organic molecular electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/671 Organic radiation-sensitive molecular electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/80 Constructional details

Abstract

Two- and three-terminal molecular electronic devices with ballistic electron transport are described. For example, a two-terminal molecular electronic device includes a conductor 1 layer/molecule 1 layer/conductor2 layer junction, wherein the total thickness of the molecule 1 layer and the conductor2 layer is less than or approximately equal to the mean free path of a charge carrier traveling in the two layers, and wherein ballistic transport can occur for some fraction of a plurality of charge carriers in the two layers.

Claims

1. A two-terminal molecular electronic device comprising:

a conductor 1 layer;

a molecule 1 layer;

a conductor 2 layer; and

a conductor 1 layer/molecule 1 layer/conductor 2 layer junction formed from the conductor 1 layer, the molecule 1 layer, and the conductor 2 layer, wherein the total thickness of the molecule 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer is less than or approximately equal to the mean free path of a carrier traveling in the two layers, and wherein ballistic transport can occur for some fraction of a plurality of carriers in the two layers.

2. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, wherein the molecule 1 layer is covalently bonded to one or both of the conductor 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

3. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 2, wherein the molecule 1 layer is irreversibly bonded to the one or both of the conductor 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

4. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, wherein the molecule 1 layer comprises a species selected from the group consisting of azobenzene, fluorene, and polythiophene.

5. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a luminescent layer disposed on the conductor 2 layer, wherein hot electrons from the conductor 2 layer excite the luminescent layer to cause light emission.

6. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductor 2 layer comprises a luminescent material.

7. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductor 1 layer/molecule 1 layer/conductor 2 layer junction is in a vacuum environment, and wherein hot electrons can be ejected from the conductor 2 layer into the vacuum.

8. The two-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductor 2 layer comprises a semiconductor material.

9. A three-terminal molecular electronic device comprising:

a conductor 1 layer;

a molecule 1 layer;

a conductor 2 layer

a molecule 2 layer;

a conductor 3 layer; and

a conductor 1 layer/molecule 1 layer/conductor 2 layer/molecule 2 layer/conductor 3 layer junction formed from the conductor 1 layer, the molecule 1 layer, the conductor 2 layer, the molecule 2 layer, and the conductor 3 layer, wherein the total thickness of the molecule 1 layer, the conductor 2 layer, and the molecule2 layer is less than or approximately equal to the mean free path of a carrier traveling in the three layers, and wherein ballistic transport can occur for some fraction of a plurality of carriers in the three layers.

10. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein the molecule 1 layer is covalently bonded to one or both of the conductor 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

11. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 10, wherein the molecule 1 layer is irreversibly bonded to the one or both of the conductor 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

12. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein one or both of the molecule 1 layer and the molecule 2 layer comprises a species selected from the group consisting of azobenzene, fluorene, and polythiophene.

13. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein interaction of the molecular orbitals of the molecule 1 layer and the molecule 2 layer with the conductor 2 layer results in electron delocalization across both molecular layers and the intermediate conductor 2 layer to provide a single quantum mechanical system with strong interactions between relevant orbitals.

14. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein the molecule 1 layer is not covalently bonded to the conductor 2 layer.

15. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 14, wherein one or more of the conductor layers comprises a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, conducting polymers, metals, and conducting metallic compounds.

16. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein the molecule 2 layer is not covalently bonded to the conductor 2 layer or the conductor 3 layer, or both.

17. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 16, wherein one or more of the conductor layers comprises a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, conducting polymers, metals, and conducting metallic compounds.

18. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 9, wherein the conductor 2 layer comprises a semiconductor material.

19. A three-terminal molecular electronic device comprising:

a conductor 1 layer;

a molecular layer;

a conductor 2 layer;

a non-molecular active transport layer;

a conductor 3 layer; and

a conductor 1 layer/molecular layer/conductor 2 layer/non-molecular active transport layer/conductor 3 layer junction formed from the conductor 1 layer, the molecular layer, the conductor 2 layer, the non-molecular active transport layer, and the conductor 3 layer, wherein the total thickness of the molecular layer, the conductor 2 layer, and the non-molecular active transport layer is less than or approximately equal to the mean free path of a carrier traveling in the three layers, and wherein ballistic transport can occur for some fraction of a plurality of carriers in the three layers.

20. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 19, wherein the molecular layer is covalently bonded to one or both of the conductor1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

21. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 20, wherein the molecular layer is irreversibly bonded to the one or both of the conductor 1 layer and the conductor 2 layer.

22. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 19, wherein the molecular layer comprises a species selected from the group consisting of azobenzene, fluorene, and polythiophene.

23. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 19, wherein the non-molecular active transport layer comprises a semimetal or a semiconductor.

24. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 19, wherein interaction of the molecular orbitals of the molecular layer and the non-molecular active transport layer with the conductor 2 layer results in electron delocalization across the molecular layer and the non-molecular active transport layer and the intermediate conductor 2 layer to provide a single quantum mechanical system with strong interactions between relevant orbitals.

25. The three-terminal molecular electronic device of claim 19, wherein the conductor 2 layer comprises a semiconductor material.