Fabrication of single linear aromatic molecular junction with high formation probability

Abstract

The fabrication of single molecular junctions (SMJs) with high formation probabilities and high conductance values is important to the progress of molecular electronics. The relationship between formation probability and the structure of a single molecular junction is not clear because of the lack of systematic studies. Here, we propose a guideline for the fabrication of SMJs with high formation probabilities, focusing on the nanogap and molecular sizes. The investigation of simple linear aromatic compounds, which consist of a small number of benzene rings (i.e., benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene), using Au, Ag, and Cu electrodes revealed that SMJs with high formation probabilities and high conductance values can be obtained when the molecular size is equivalent to or smaller than the nanogap size.