Novel technique used to produce single-molecule transistor
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029075
IEE Spectrum : A transistor consists of two electrodes, a source and a sink, and a gate that controls the flow of current between them. Recently researchers created a single-molecule transistor, and now a new and improved technique uses charged atoms for the gate. In this new transistor, a phthalocyanine molecule functions as the transmission channel, which rests on an indium arsenide substrate. Using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), the researchers arranged indium ions around the H2Pc channel. The transistor turns “on” when enough indium ions are collected around the channel to create sufficient charge to alter the energy of the H2Pc molecule’s electrons. When that happens, electrons from the STM, now being used as the transistor’s source, can pass through the channel into the substrate.
