AtMol

1.-Atomic Scale and Single Molecule Logic Gate Technologies
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 4-11
2.-Heat dissipation in nanometer-scale ridges
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 12-17
3.-The raise up of UHV atomic scale interconnection machines
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 23-30
4.-Towards atomic scale logic gates construction on a Ge(001)-(2×1):H surface
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 25) 2012, pages 5-11.
5.-Hierarchical linking of individual molecules into complex structures
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 25) 2012, pages 12-14.
6.-Single bond mechanochemistry at silicon surfaces
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 26) 2012, pages 5-11.
7.-Electron tunnelling manipulation of self-assembled molecular nanostructures
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 5-12
8.-Coronene: A Single Molecule Atom Counter
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 13-18
9.-Measuring the conductance of single molecular wires as a function of the electron energy
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 21-27
10.-Synthesis of Y-Shaped Polyarenes, Crushed Fullerenes and Nanographene Fragments
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 33-35
11.-Molecular versus Atomic scale circuits for Boolean logic gates (and more) at the atomic scale
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 29-31
12.-Experimental approach towards molecular circuits
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 32-35
13.-Surface atomic wires for interconnects and logic gate design
E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 37-42

Atomic Scale and Single Molecule Logic Gate Technologies

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 4-11

Authors
C. Joachim
Nanosciences Group, CEMES-CNRS, Toulouse, France

Heat dissipation in nanometer-scale ridges

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 12-17

Authors
Pierre-Olivier Chapuis (a), Andrey Shchepetov (b), Mika Prunnila (b), Sampo Laakso (b), Jouni Ahopelto (b) and Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres(a)(c)(d)

(a) Institut Catala de Nanotecnologia (ICN), Centre d’Investigacio en Nanociencia e Nanotecnologia (CIN2-CSIC), Edifi cio CM3, Campus de la Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
(b) VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, PO Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland.
(c) Department of Physics, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain.
(d) Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys, 23 08010 Barcelona, Spain.

Abstract
Heat management in today’s electronic devices is critical to prevent possible failures due particularly to cracks. Heat is carried in such devices by electrons in electrical conductors and mainly by acoustic phonons in electrical insulators. We explain the fi rst steps of our work aiming to investigate experimentally the effect of lateral confi nement of acoustic phonons in silicon ridges as a function of the temperature. Inspired by the electrical 3ω method, we design a setup that can be used as a mean to generate phonons in ~100 nm wide ridge nanostructures and as a thermometer that allows tracking the generated heat flux.

The raise up of UHV atomic scale interconnection machines

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 22) 2011, pages 23-30

Authors

J. S. Prauzner-Bechcicki (1), D. Martrou (2), C. Troadec (3), S. Gauthier (2), M. Szymonski (1) and C. Joachim (2, 3)

(1) Center for nanometer-Scale Science and Advanced Materials (NANOSAM), Faculty of Physics,
Astronomy and Applied Computer Science Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, Krakow, Poland.
(2) Centre d’Elaboration de Matériaux et d’Etudes Structurales (CEMES-CNRS), 29, rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 4, France.
(3) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) Singapore

Towards atomic scale logic gates construction on a Ge(001)-(2×1):H surface

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 25) 2012, pages 5-11

Authors

Marek Kolmer (1), Szymon Godlewski (1), Hiroyo Kawai (2), Bartosz Such (1), FranciszekKro (1), Mark Saeys (2, 3), Christian Joachim (2, 4) and Marek Szymonski (1)

(1) Department of Physics of Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Reymonta 4, PL 30-059, Krakow, Poland
(2) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 3 Research Link, Singapore 117602, Singapore
(3) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 4, Singapore 117576, Singapore
(4) Nanosciences Group & MANA Satellite, CEMES-CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, F-31055 Toulouse, France

Abstract
Atomically precise dangling bond (DB) are fabricated dimer-by-dimer on a hydrogen passivated
Ge(001)-(2×1):H surface by STM tip-induced desorption. The DB lines are characterized spectroscopically by STS which reveals that the DB-derived states gradually shift with the number of coupled DBs forming short lines running perpendicular to the surface reconstruction rows. The perspectives for fabrication of DB logic gates are discussed on the basis of the constructed circuit prototypes.

Hierarchical linking of individual molecules into complex structures

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 25) 2012, pages 12-14

Authors

L. Grill
Department for Physical Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max-Planck-Society

Single bond mechanochemistry at silicon surfaces

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 26) 2012, pages 5-11

Authors

A. Sweetman (1), S. Jarvis (1), A. Stannard (1), R. Woolley (1), C. Chiutu(1), A. Lakin (1), L. Kantorovich (2), J. Dunn (1) and P. Moriarty (1)

(1)School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
(2)Department of Physics, School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, King' s College London, The Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK

Electron tunnelling manipulation of self-assembled molecular nanostructures

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 5-12

Authors

Francesca Moresco (1), Anja Nickel (1), Robin Ohmann (1), Joerg Meyer (1), Maricarmen Grisolia (2), Christian Joachim (2) and Gianaurelio Cuniberti (1)

(1) Institute for Materials Science, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden, Dresden, Germany
(2) Nanosciences Group & MANA Satellite, CEMESCNRS, Toulouse, France

Abstract
Several methods were developed in the last decades to manipulate molecules using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. Single atoms and molecules can be moved on a surface in a controlled way. However, for the development of devices at the nanoscale, it is important to move not only adsorbates one by one, but also structures composed by several molecules. Therefore, a purely electronic excitation method was recently used for the controlled movement of weakly interacting assemblies of few molecules. The adsorption of Acetylbiphenyl molecules on a Au (111) surface and the formation of nanostructured given by four molecules and stabilized by hydrogen bonding will be described in this article. The electron tunneling induced manipulation of these nanostructures will be presented. Depending on the polarity and position of the applied voltage, the direction of movement can be selected.

Coronene: A Single Molecule Atom Counter

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 13-18

Authors

C. Manzano (1), W. H. Soe (1), M. Hliwa (2), M. Grisolia (2), H. S. Wong (1) and C. Joachim (1, 2)

(1) IMRE, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technologyand Research), 3 Research Link, 117602, Singapore
(2) GNS-CEMES & MANA Satellite, CNRS, 29 rue J. Marvig, 31055 Toulouse Cedex, France

Abstract
To contact selected peripheral π bonds of a single Coronene molecule, gold adatoms were manipulated one by one on a Au(111) surface with the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope to form Aun-Coronene complexes. Tunnelling electron spectroscopy and differential conductance mapping show how the electronic ground state of the Aun- Coronene complexes is shifted in energy concomitantly with the number of gold atoms coordinated to the Coronene molecule. By simply following the linear energy downshift of the Aun- Coronene’s ground state the number of interacting atoms can be counted demonstrating that a Coronene molecule can function as a single molecule atom counter.

Measuring the conductance of single molecular wires as a function of the electron energy

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 21-27

Authors

Matthias Koch (1), Francisco Ample (2), Christian Joachim (2, 3) and Leonhard Grill(1, 4)

(1) Dept. of Physical Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max-Planck-Society, Berlin, Germany
(2) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Singapore
(3) Nanosciences Group, CEMES-CNRS, Toulouse, France
(4) Dept. of Physical Chemistry, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 28, Austria

Abstract
We have measured the conductance of single graphene nanoribbons as a continuous function of their length, thus determining the current decay along the molecular wire, in combination with theoretical calculations. After onsurface polymerization of the nanoribbons on a Au(111) surface, the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope is used to pull single polymers off the surface at cryogenic temperatures. In this way, individual molecular chains are electrically contacted between two electrodes, the tip and the surface. By systematically changing the bias voltage between the electrodes, the conductance is investigated as a function of the electron energy and the charge transport properties are directly correlated with the electronic structure of the molecular wires, in agreement with theory. In a very particular configuration, the nanoribbons adapt an almost straight shape and experimental evidence for a pseudo-ballistic transport regime is found at the single-molecule level, as predicted by theory.

Synthesis of Y-Shaped Polyarenes, Crushed Fullerenes and Nanographene Fragments

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 28) 2013, pages 33-35

Authors

P. Calleja, R. Dorel, P. McGonigal, P. de Mendoza, and A. M. Echavarren

Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ),Av. Països Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona (Spain)

Abstract
As part of a program on the synthesis of large polyarenes for their application in molecular electronics, our group is developing new strategies for the rational synthesis of Yshaped polyarenes and well-defined molecularsized sections of graphite single layers (nanographenes).

Molecular versus Atomic scale circuits for Boolean logic gates (and more) at the atomic scale

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 29-31

Authors

C. Joachim

Nanosciences Group & MANA Satellite, CEMES/CNRS, France

Abstract
We have now the technological knowhow to manipulate atoms and molecules one at a time on a passivated semi-conductor surface and to design elementary Boolean logic gates at the atomic scale using for example a few molecules adsorbed on this surface and interconnected by an atomic scale circuit, a single molecule embedding the complete gates or an atomic scale circuit alone (See Fig. 1). But how to determine which one of those directions will lead to a true revolution regarding the atomic-scale construction of the Arithmetic and Logic Units of our future processors?.

Experimental approach towards molecular circuits

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 32-35

Authors

Christophe Nacci (1), Christian Joachim (2) and Leonhard Grill (1,3)

(1) Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max-Planck-Society, Department of Physical Chemistry, 14195 Berlin, Germany
(2) Nanosciences Group and MANA Satellite, CEMESCNRS, 31055 Toulouse, France
(3) Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria

Surface atomic wires for interconnects and logic gate design

E-Nano Newsletter (Issue 29) 2014, pages 37-42 Authors

Mikaël Kepenekian (1), Roberto Robles (2,3), Christian Joachim (4,5) and Nicolás Lorente (2,3)

(1) Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, UMR 6226, CNRS - Université de Rennes 1 – Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Rennes, Rennes, France
(2) ICN2 - Institut Catala de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
(3) CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, ICN2 Building, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
(4) Centre dElaboration des Matériaux et dEtudes Structurales (CEMES), CNRS, 29 rue J. Marvig, 31055 Toulouse Cedex, France
(5) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 3 Research Link, Singapore 117602, Singapore

Abstract
The development of information technology has been pursued at a tremendous pace. Larger capacity memories and faster processors are obtained from the miniaturization of electronic devices. Nevertheless, this technological explosion that started in the second half of the 20th century will reach a limit when facing the atomic scale. Indeed, at this size, the bulk properties of semiconductors are modified. Thus, the operating principles will vanish along the shrinking process [1,2]. In the mid-1970s, an alternative was offered by proposing that a single molecule could perform the same basic functions of electronics than traditional silicon-based technologies [3,4].
In this purpose, organic molecules are candidates with great potential given the control on molecular design rending possible by chemical synthesis. In particular, one can conceive molecules that will switch from one state to another under the application of some external stimulus [5]. When this bistability is associated with a response function (e.g. optical), binary data can be encoded following the same rules that served in traditional devices. Then the logic operations, either basic (AND, NOT, OR) or more elaborated can be performed at the molecular level, giving rise to molecular logic gates [6,7,8,9].
Semiconducting surfaces are good candidates for supporting the running of molecular devices because they have an electronic gap that prevents current losses from the device plus their surfaces present localized chemical bonds that make them ideal to attach a molecular device.
However, semiconductors are generally doped, and dopants can be a source of nuisance to the operational conditions of the device. On one hand, they are strong electron scatterers, perturbing transport properties in a very long-ranged manner, and, on the other-hand, they can close the semiconductor’s gap. One remaining problem is to create a frame, at atomic scale, where a number of these ‘molecular processors’ could be (i) assessed, and (ii) associated together to obtain complete circuits.