High-Yield Functional Molecular Electronic Devices

Abstract

An ultimate goal of molecular electronics, which seeks to incorporate molecular components into electronic circuit units, is to generate functional molecular electronic devices using individual or ensemble molecules to fulfill the increasing technical demands of the miniaturization of traditional silicon-based electronics. This review article presents a summary of recent efforts to pursue this ultimate aim, covering the development of reliable device platforms for high-yield ensemble molecular junctions and their utilization in functional molecular electronic devices, in which distinctive electronic functionalities are observed due to the functional molecules. In addition, other aspects pertaining to the practical application of molecular devices such as manufacturing compatibility with existing complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, their integration, and flexible device applications are also discussed. These advances may contribute to a deeper understanding of charge transport characteristics through functional molecular junctions and provide a desirable roadmap for future practical molecular electronics applications.

Keywords: charge transport characterization; flexible device; functional molecular device; high device yield; molecular diode; molecular junction; molecular memory; molecular switch; self-assembled monolayer.