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Thermal induced single grain boundary break junction for suspended nanogap electrodes

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Abstract

Construction of molecular devices is one of the most promising approaches for the ultimate miniaturization of electronic devices, the groundwork of which is the fabrication of nanogap electrodes. Here we report a method to fabricate nanogap electrodes through thermal annealing based on single grain boundary junction. By performing low temperature thermal process, single grain boundary junction can be broken and change into a suspended gap with gap width down to sub-5 nanometers, which is beyond the fabrication precision of traditional lithography technologies. With the advantage of shape stability, no debris and high time efficiency, such nanogap electrodes is promising in constructing molecular devices with two or three-terminals.

中文摘要

纳米尺度分子器件是最有可能实现超高密度集成电路的途径之一, 而纳米间隙电极对的制备是分子器件的构筑基础. 本文利用热处理诱导晶间断裂现象来进行纳米间隙电极对的构筑. 通过低温热处理过程实现单个金晶界结的断裂, 使其从晶界结转化为悬空纳米间隙电极对. 所制备的纳米间隙电极对的间隙尺寸可达到亚5纳米, 采用 传统的微纳米加工方法很难实现该尺寸间隙电极对. 利用热处理诱导晶间断裂所制备的纳米间隙电极对具有诸多优点, 如形状稳定性好、间隙中无杂质颗粒残留等, 有望用来构筑两端或三端分子器件.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Ajuan Cui, Huanli Dong, Yonggang Zhen & Wenping Hu

  2. Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Zhe Liu, Yujin Wang, Wuxia Li, Junjie Li & Changzhi Gu

Authors
  1. Ajuan Cui
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  2. Zhe Liu
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  3. Huanli Dong
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  4. Yujin Wang
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  5. Yonggang Zhen
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  6. Wuxia Li
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  7. Junjie Li
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  8. Changzhi Gu
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  9. Wenping Hu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenping Hu.

Additional information

Ajuan Cui graduated in physics from Northwest University in 2009. She obtained her PhD degree in condensed matter physics from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in June 2014. In July 2014 she joined the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) as a post-doctor. Her scientific interests include molecular electronics, micro/nanostructures with novel electrical/optical properties, micro/nano fabrication.

Wenping Hu is a professor of the ICCAS. He received his PhD degree from the ICCAS in 1999. He then joined Osaka University as a research fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences and Stuttgart University as an Alexander von Humboldt. In 2003 he worked for Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, and then returned to ICCAS and was promoted as a full professor. His research focuses on molecular electronics and he has more than 330 peer reviewed publications with citation over 9000 times (H index=52).

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Cui, A., Liu, Z., Dong, H. et al. Thermal induced single grain boundary break junction for suspended nanogap electrodes. Sci. China Mater. 58, 769–774 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-015-0092-8

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