Real Time and in Situ Control of the Gap Size of Nanoelectrodes for Molecular Devices

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• 作者：Dacheng Wei ; Yunqi Liu ; Lingchao Cao ; Yu Wang ; Hongliang Zhang ; Gui Yu
• 刊名：Nano Letters
• 出版年：2008
• 出版时间：June 2008
• 年：2008
• 卷：8
• 期：6
• 页码：1625 - 1630
• 全文大小：975K
• 年卷期：v.8,no.6(June 2008)
• ISSN：1530-6992

文摘

Molecular electronics is often limited by the lack of a simple method to fabricate nanoelectrodes with controlled gap size. This is partly attributed to the lack of a real time characterization in the fabrication. Here, we report a new method based on an electron induced deposition process operated in scanning electron microscopy that realizes in situ and real time characterization in the nanoelectrode fabrication; thus the gap size can be controlled easily and precisely. It is a clean and nondestructive process for carbon nanotube (CNT) electrodes. The mechanism is detailed. The nanoelectrodes have a π-conjugated surface due to the deposition of sp²-rich amorphous carbon. As an application, DNA molecules are assembled between the CNT electrodes by π-stacking interaction for current−voltage measurement. Our result provides a feasible route to prepare nanoelectrodes with controlled gap size, and it will be valuable for current efforts in molecular electronics and nanoelectronics.