Effects of electron charging and magnetization configuration on the electronic properties of Ni/C60/Ni single molecule transistors

Abstract

We report charge-state-dependent electron transport through single C60 molecule transistors with ferromagnetic Ni electrodes. We have found that the addition of an extra electron onto the C60 molecule in its equilibrium state leads to strong enhancement in the coupling between the C60 molecule and the Ni electrodes. Furthermore, even the magnetization configuration of the Ni electrodes modulates the hybridization in this strong coupling region, giving rise to a very large conductance change upon magnetization reversal. This work demonstrates great potentiality of ferromagnetic metal electrodes in controlling transport characteristics of single molecule transistors through modulation of charge states and/or magnetization configurations.