Molecular Electronics Based on Self-assembled Monolayers

Since the first measurement of electron tunneling through an organic monolayer in 1971,(Mann and Kuhn, 1971) and the gedanken experiment of a molecular current rectifying diode in 1974,(Aviram and Ratner, 1974) molecular-scale electronics have attracted a growing interest, both for basic science at the nanoscale and for possible applications in nano-electronics. In the first case, molecules are quantum object by nature and their properties can be tailored by chemistry opening avenues for new experiments. In the second case, molecule-based devices are envisioned to complement silicon devices by providing new functions or already existing functions at a simpler process level and at a lower cost by virtue of their self-organization capabilities, moreover, they are not bound to von Neuman architecture and this may open the way to other architectural paradigms.