CoukieApplied Nanotechnology
August 4th 2006 12:42
The first step to integrate nanotechnology to information technology via memory and logic applications has been taken by IBM scientists at the IBM Zurich research laboratory, the scientist have demonstrated that is possible to switch a single molecule between two distinct conductive states, this procedure allow the molecule to store data.
Through a mechanical method Heike Riel and Emanuel Lörtscher were able to set a particular molecule to two identifiable states ON and OFF (0 and 1), according to IBM “both conductive states are stable and enable non-destructive read-out of the bit state—a prerequisite for nonvolatile memory operation—“
The method (mechanically controllable break-junction) employed by the researches can be summarized as follows:
“a metallic bridge on an insulating substrate is carefully stretched by mechanical bending. Ultimately the bridge breaks, creating two separate electrodes that possess atomic-sized tips. The gap between the electrodes can be controlled with picometer (one thousandth of a nanometer) accuracy due to the very high transmission ratio of the bending mechanism. In a next step, a solution of the organic molecules is deposited on top of the electrodes. As the junction closes, a molecule capable of chemically bonding to both metallic electrodes can bridge the gap. In this way, an individual molecule is "caught" between the electrodes, and measurements can be performed”
Source: "Reversible and Controllable Switching of a Single-Molecule Junction" by E. Lörtscher, J. W. Ciszek, J. Tour, and H. Riel, Small, Volume 2, Issue 8-9 , pp. 973-977 (04 August 2006).
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