Controlled electroplating and electromigration in nickel electrodes for nanogap formation

Molecular Electronics: Creating and Bridging Molecular Junctions and Promoting Its Commercialization

Molecular electronics is driven by the dream of expanding Moore's law to the molecular level for next-generation electronics through incorporating individual or ensemble molecules into electronic circuits. For nearly 50 years, numerous efforts have been made to explore the intrinsic properties of molecules and develop diverse fascinating molecular electronic devices with the desired functionalities. The flourishing of molecular electronics is inseparable from the development of various elegant methodologies for creating nanogap electrodes and bridging the nanogap with molecules. This review first focuses on the techniques for making lateral and vertical nanogap electrodes by breaking, narrowing, and fixed modes, and highlights their capabilities, applications, merits, and shortcomings. After summarizing the approaches of growing single molecules or molecular layers on the electrodes, the methods of constructing a complete molecular circuit are comprehensively grouped into three categories: 1) directly bridging one-molecule-electrode component with another electrode, 2) physically bridging two-molecule-electrode components, and 3) chemically bridging two-molecule-electrode components. Finally, the current state of molecular circuit integration and commercialization is discussed and perspectives are provided, hoping to encourage the community to accelerate the realization of fully scalable molecular electronics for a new era of integrated microsystems and applications.

Biogenic Photo-Catalyst TiO2 Nanoparticles for Remediation of Environment Pollutants

This article reports a benign environmentally friendly fabrication method of titanium dioxide (TDO) nanoparticles (named TDO NPs3, TDO NPs5, and TDO NPs8) using aqueous extract of durva herb waste. This synthesis process avoids use of harmful substances and persistent chemicals throughout the order and enables us to control the size of the nanomaterials. Characterization of TDO nanoparticles was analyzed by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphological nature of the TDO samples was inspected by transmission electron microscopy, which indicated that the TDO NPs3, TDO NPs5, and TDO NPs8 were spherical in shape, with average sizes of 5.14, 12.54, and 29.61 nm, respectively. The stability of TDO nanoparticles was assessed using thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic light scattering analysis. These samples could be used for degradation of polluting industrial textile dyes, such as methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (Rh-B). Remarkably, the TDO NPs3 sample (5.14 nm size) exhibits a noticeable degradation of the MB dye in a shorter time period (50 min) than the TDO NPs8 sample with a size of 29.61 nm (120 min). The TDO NPs3 sample was also tested for degradation of Rh-B dye, showing high degradation efficiency over a short period of time (60 min). In contrast, the TDO NPs8 sample showed degradation of the Rh-B dye in 120 min. The effect of the dye concentration and the catalyst dose to remove dye pollutants has also been investigated. The synthesized TDO NPs act as exceptional catalysts for the degradation of dyes, and they are promising materials for the degradation of industrial polluting dyes.

Electromigration-induced formation of percolating adsorbate islands during condensation from the gaseous phase: a computational study

We provide a computational study of a change in the morphology of a growing thin film during condensation caused by electromigration effects. It will be shown, that separated circular adsorbate islands, realized in an isotropic system, become elongated in the direction of the applied electrical field. We discuss the dependence of the critical value of the strength of the applied electrical field, responsible for the formation of percolating adsorbate islands, on main control parameters. This study provides insight into details of electromigration effects during the self-organization of adatoms into percolating adsorbate islands during condensation from the gaseous phase. We will show that the elongated morphology of adsorbate islands remains stable if the electric field is turned off.

Batch-Fabricated α-Si Assisted Nanogap Tunneling Junctions

This paper details the design, fabrication, and characterization of highly uniform batch-fabricated sidewall etched vertical nanogap tunneling junctions for bio-sensing applications. The device consists of two vertically stacked gold electrodes separated by a partially etched sacrificial spacer layer of sputtered α-Si and Atomic Layer Deposited (ALD) SiO₂. A ~10 nm wide air-gap is formed along the sidewall by a controlled dry etch of the spacer. The thickness of the spacer layer can be tuned by adjusting the number of ALD cycles. The rigorous statistical characterization of the ultra-thin spacer films has also been performed. We fabricated nanogap electrodes under two design layouts with different overlap areas and spacer gaps, from ~4.0 nm to ~9.0 nm. Optical measurements reported an average non-uniformity of 0.46 nm (~8%) and 0.56 nm (~30%) in SiO₂ and α-Si film thickness respectively. Direct tunneling and Fowler–Nordheim tunneling measurements were done and the barrier potential of the spacer stack was determined to be ~3.5 eV. I–V measurements showed a maximum resistance of 46 × 10³ GΩ and the average dielectric breakdown field of the spacer stack was experimentally determined to be ~11 MV/cm.

Sub-5 nm Metal Nanogaps: Physical Properties, Fabrication Methods, and Device Applications

Sub-5 nm metal nanogaps have attracted widespread attention in physics, chemistry, material sciences, and biology due to their physical properties, including great plasmon-enhanced effects in light-matter interactions and charge tunneling, Coulomb blockade, and the Kondo effect under an electrical stimulus. These properties especially meet the needs of many cutting-edge devices, such as sensing, optical, molecular, and electronic devices. However, fabricating sub-5 nm nanogaps is still challenging at the present, and scaled and reliable fabrication, improved addressability, and multifunction integration are desired for further applications in commercial devices. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive overview of sub-5 nm nanogaps and to present recent advancements in metal nanogaps, including their physical properties, fabrication methods, and device applications, with the ultimate aim to further inspire scientists and engineers in their research.

Fabrication of sub-1 nm gap electrodes using metal-mask patterning and conductivity measurements of molecules in nanoscale spaces

Fabrications of sub-1 nm gap Au electrodes using a metal mask for patterning were achieved. Because the procedure does not involve wet processing, the ranges of possible electrode and substrate materials for the electrodes are greatly expanded.

Single grain boundary break junction for suspended nanogap electrodes with gapwidth down to 1-2 nm by focused ion beam milling

Single grain boundary junctions are used for the fabrication of suspended nanogap electrodes with a gapwidth down to 1-2 nm through the break of such junctions by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. With advantages of stability and no debris, such nanogap electrodes are suitable for single molecular electronic device construction.

Magnetization reversal and magnetic anisotropy in ordered CoNiP nanowire arrays: effects of wire diameter

Ordered CoNiP nanowires with the same length of 4 µm and varying diameters (d = 100 nm–600 nm) were fabricated by electrodeposition of CoNiP onto polycarbonate templates. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the quality of the fabricated nanowires. Magnetic measurements and theoretical analysis revealed that the magnetization reversal and magnetic anisotropy were significantly influenced by varying of the diameters of the nanowires. There existed a critical wire diameter (d_c ≈ 276 nm), below which the magnetization reversal occurred via a coherent rotation mode, and above which the magnetization reversal occurred via a curling rotation mode. The easy axis of the magnetization tended to change in direction from parallel to perpendicular with respect to the wire axis as the wire diameter exceeded d_c ≈ 276 nm. With increasing wire diameter, the coercive field (H_c) and the remanent to saturation magnetization ratio (M_r/M_s) were also found to rapidly decrease in the range d = 100–400 nm and gradually decrease for d > 400 nm.