Physics (Internal)

Shrinking from macroscopic electronic components to single molecule electronics

This event is part of the Graduate Student Council Events.

As the minimum size limit in silicon electronics is approached, alternative solutions to building circuits is required. Any possible alternative would not only need to be smaller in scale but retain all the functionality of typical electrical components such as resistors, transistors, diodes, and switches. Those requirements are all fulfilled in single molecule electronics. The endless variety of organic, organometallic, and biological molecules can provide the specific electronic functionality desired at smaller sizes than silicon electronics. I will first talk about the principles underlying the field of single molecule electronics and how molecules are incorporated into electronic pathways. I will also discuss some of the initial measurements that started the field before talking about recent measurements of the single molecule counterparts to the standard electronic components. All of which have led to interesting and unexpected behavior as quantum mechanics plays a large role on the size scale of single molecules.