Research progresses toward critical molecular electronics measurements.Research at NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC, www.nist.gov) The standards-defining agency of the U.S. government, formerly the National Bureau of Standards. It is one of three agencies that fall under the Technology Administration (www.technology. and a private company is progressing toward reliable methods for measuring the electrical behavior of molecular electronic devices, an emerging nanotechnology eyed for future integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. . Using a crossbar test structure consisting of a molecular monolayer mon·o·lay·er n. 1. A film or layer one molecule thick formed at the interface between water and either oil or air by a substance such as a partially esterified fatty acid that contains both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the same sandwiched between a series of perpendicular metal wires, collaborators at separate facilities recorded nearly identical electrical measurements Electrical measurements Measurements of the many quantities by which the behavior of electricity is characterized. Measurements of electrical quantities extend over a wide dynamic range and frequencies ranging from 0 to 1012 Hz. . This step, along with others taken to eliminate potential sources of error, ensures that the measured behavior is directly attributable to the device and not the experimental set up. Electrical (current-voltage, or IV) measurements of crossbar devices containing eicosanoic acid exhibit a controllable, two-state switching behavior that is due to the presence of the molecular layer. However, the molecular monolayer is not the sole cause. Rather, the switch-like behavior most likely arises from the interaction of the molecules with the electrodes. This example illustrates that the properties of molecular electronic devices are often determined not by the molecule alone, but by the entire device that consists of both the molecules and the attachment electrodes. This two-state behavior was independently measured in two separate laboratories, indicating that it is not a measurement artifact and illustrating that these devices are robust enough to ship via conventional methods and remain active. In addition to IV measurements, what well may be the first capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements of molecular monolayer-based devices were taken at NIST. These CV curves also show two-state behavior. This work was first reported on April 2, 2003, at the Government Microcircuit A miniaturized, electronic circuit, such as is found on an integrated circuit. See chip and MCM. Applications and Critical Technology Conference 2003. CONTACT: Curt Richter Curt Richter (1894-1988) was a biologist and geneticist responsible for work with mice and their ability to taste calcium. , (301) 975-2082; crichter@nist.gov. |
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