Massively parallel fabrication of crack-defined gold break junctions featuring sub-3 nm gaps for molecular devices

Nature Communications
Valentin DuboisGöran Stemme

Abstract

Break junctions provide tip-shaped contact electrodes that are fundamental components of nano and molecular electronics. However, the fabrication of break junctions remains notoriously time-consuming and difficult to parallelize. Here we demonstrate true parallel fabrication of gold break junctions featuring sub-3 nm gaps on the wafer-scale, by relying on a novel self-breaking mechanism based on controlled crack formation in notched bridge structures. We achieve fabrication densities as high as 7 million junctions per cm2, with fabrication yields of around 7% for obtaining crack-defined break junctions with sub-3 nm gaps of fixed gap width that exhibit electron tunneling. We also form molecular junctions using dithiol-terminated oligo(phenylene ethynylene) (OPE3) to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach for electrical probing of molecules down to liquid helium temperatures. Our technology opens a whole new range of experimental opportunities for nano and molecular electronics applications, by enabling very large-scale fabrication of solid-state break junctions.

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Citations

Aug 30, 2018·Advanced Materials·Valentin DuboisFrank Niklaus
May 30, 2020·Nanoscale Horizons : the Home for Rapid Reports of Exceptional Significance in Nanoscience and Nanotechnolgy·Jinwook JungSeung Hwan Ko
Aug 11, 2020·Chemphyschem : a European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry·Youngsang Kim
Jul 18, 2019·Scientific Reports·Muhammad Fahlesa FatahilahHutomo Suryo Wasisto
Feb 4, 2021·Nano Letters·Farnaz NirouiVladimir Bulović
Jul 11, 2021·Advanced Materials·Nannan LiYi Luo
Jan 31, 2019·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Alessandro EnricoGöran Stemme
Apr 2, 2020·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Sohrab BehniaFatemeh Nemati
Nov 2, 2021·Advanced Science·Sihai LuoJohn C de Mello

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
scanning
electron beam lithography
chip
biosensing

Software Mentioned

MATLAB

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