title: Development of a nanowire-based test bed device for molecular electronics applications.
abstract: In this paper, we present a novel test bed system which we believe addresses several key challenges in molecular electronics, i.e., the need to fabricate metal-molecule-metal junctions that have the potential to facilitate single-molecule measurements, are easily characterized, and are reproducible. The system is based upon template-electrodeposited metal nanowires incorporating a self-assembled monolayer spacer that are fabricated into electrical devices using direct-write photolithography. Removal of the spacer leaves a nanometer-sized, characterizable gap to which nanoparticles or a test molecule of interest can be attached postfabrication. Here we report the fabrication procedure together with results showing the application of these devices to the study of the i/V characteristics of Au nanoparticles at cryogenic temperatures. These data demonstrate that the performance of these easily produced, inexpensive, novel devices compares favorably to that of devices made using preexisting methods.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Smith