2004/02/09 by Z. H. Lu, Zheng‐Hong Lu, M. W. C. Dharma-wardana +4
Engineering · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1063/1.1764935
published as Applied Physics letters, vol 85, pp. 323-325 (2004) · 5 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2004/02/09 · openalex publication_date 2004/07/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Density-functional calculations clarify the role of an ultrathin LiF layer on Al electrodes used in molecular electronics. The LiF layer creates a sharp density of states (DOS), as in a scanning-tunneling microscope (STM) tip. The sharp DOS, coupled with the DOS of the molecule leads to negative differential resistance. Electron transfer between oriented molecules occurs via resonant tunneling. The I–V characteristic for a thin-film of tris (8-hydroxyquinoline)-aluminum (AIQ) molecules, oriented using electric-field poling, is in excellent agreement with theory. This molecular is a robust, simple alternative to STM or mechanical break-junction structures.