The electronic structure of metal/alkane thiol self-assembled monolayers/metal junctions for magnetoelectronics applications

• Published in: Chemical physics letters Vol. 381; no. 1-2; pp. 7 - 13
• Main Authors: Ovchenkov, Y.A., Geisler, H., Burst, J.M., Thornburg, S.N., Ventrice, C.A., Zhang, Chunjuan, Redepenning, J., Losovyj, Y., Rosa, Luis, Dowben, P.A., Doudin, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 04.11.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Electronic transport in interface structures; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic and optical mass memories; Metal-insulator-metal structures; Physics; Storage and reproduction of information; Gold; Thiols; MIM junctions; Self-assembled layers; Silver; Electronic structure; Saturated aliphatic compound; Monolayers; Photoelectron emission; Nickel; Copper; Coulomb blockade; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0009-2614; 1873-4448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2003.09.078

Long-chain alkane thiols use in metal to organic self-assembled monolayer to metal junctions may be limited by orientational disorder, and photoemission studies suggest that several molecular layers may be needed for the dielectric layer to be effective. Several alkane thiols were investigated in a range of junctions areas 10–102 μm2. Top layer contact deposition, activated with Pd clusters resulted in a high yield of junctions that were not electrically shorted and are stable over a wide temperature range. Zero-bias anomalies, observed at low temperatures, are attributed to a Coulomb blockade associated with the Pd clusters.