Fabrication of a Few-Layer Graphene Electrodes for Molecular Electronics Devices

Abstract

We report on thefabrication of a molecular transistor based on a single molecule trapped in a few-layergraphene nanogap. The device is pre-patterned with He-ion beam milling oroxygen plasma etching prior to nanogap formation. Pre-patterning helps tolocalize the gap, and to make it narrower, so that only a few or a singlemolecule can be trapped in it. The nanogap is formed by an electroburning techniqueat room temperature. In order to test the functionality of the device wedeposited diamino-terphenyl molecules in the nanogap. Three-terminal electricalmeasurements showed an increase of the current after deposition, and a gatevoltage dependence at low temperatures. Hence, pre-patterned few-layer graphenejunctions can be used for electron transport measurements through a terphenylmolecule with a future prospective towards more complex molecularconfigurations.