PREPARATION TECHNIQUES AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MOLECULAR DEVICE

Abstract

"Mono-molecular" electronics, in which a single molecule will integrate the elementary functions and interconnections required for computation, is a very promising research area in the semiconductor industry. However, the fabrication of one molecular device and complete circuits at the molecular level remains challenging. In this report, preparation techniques for some key steps of a molecular electronics test device are discussed, specially the preparation of gold (111) surface, self-assembled monolayers, template-stripped gold surfaces and control of gold particle attachment. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the surface structure. The template-stripped gold surfaces prepared by a stripping procedure seem to have some advantages over Au (111) surfaces.