The inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy of edge-modified graphene nanoribbon-based molecular devices

The inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy（IETS） of four edge-modified finite-size grapheme nanoribbon（GNR）-based molecular devices has been studied by using the density functional theory and Green＇s function method. The effects of atomic structures and connection types on inelastic transport properties of the junctions have been studied. The IETS is sensitive to the electrode connection types and modification types. Comparing with the pure hydrogen edge passivation systems, we conclude that the IETS for the lower energy region increases obviously when using donor–acceptor functional groups as the edge modification types of the central scattering area. When using donor–acceptor as the electrode connection groups, the intensity of IETS increases several orders of magnitude than that of the pure ones. The effects of temperature on the inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy also have been discussed. The IETS curves show significant fine structures at lower temperatures. With the increasing of temperature, peak broadening covers many fine structures of the IETS curves.The changes of IETS in the low-frequency region are caused by the introduction of the donor–acceptor groups and the population distribution of thermal particles. The effect of Fermi distribution on the tunneling current is persistent.

Uniform light emission from electrically driven plasmonic grating using multilayer tunneling barriers

Light emission by inelastic tunneling(LEIT)from a metal-insulator-metal tunnel junction is an ultrafast emission process.It is a promising platform for ultrafast transduction from electrical signal to optical signal on integrated circuits.However,existing procedures of fabricating LEIT devices usually involve both top-down and bottom-up techniques,which reduces its compatibility with the modern microfabrication streamline and limits its potential applications in industrial scale-up.Here in this work,we lift these restrictions by using a multilayer insulator grown by atomic layer deposition as the tunnel barrier.For the first time,we fabricate an LEIT device fully by microfabrication techniques and show a stable performance under ambient conditions.Uniform electroluminescence is observed over the entire active region,with the emission spectrum shaped by metallic grating plasmons.The introduction of a multilayer insulator into the LEIT can provide an additional degree of freedom for engineering the energy band landscape of the tunnel barrier.The presented scheme of preparing a stable ultrathin tunnel barrier may also find some applications in a wide range of integrated optoelectronic devices.

Spin detection and manipulation with scanning tunneling microscopy

Over the past few decades, spin detection and manipulation at the atomic scale using scanning tunneling microcopy has matured, which has opened the possibility of realizing spin-based functional devices with single atoms and molecules.This article reviews the principle of spin polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and inelastic tunneling spectroscopy,which are used to measure the static spin structure and dynamic spin excitation, respectively. Recent progress will be presented, including complex spin structure, magnetization of single atoms and molecules, as well as spin excitation of single atoms, clusters, and molecules. Finally, progress in the use of spin polarized tunneling current to manipulate an atomic magnet is discussed.

Applications of optically and electrically driven nanoscale bowtie antennas

Optical antennas play an important role in optical field manipulation.Among them,nanoscale bowtie antennas have been extensively studied for its high confinement and enhancement.In this mini-review,we start with a brief introduction of bowtie antennas and underlying physics.Then we review the applications with respect to optically and electrically excited nanoscale bowtie antennas.Optically driven bowtie antennas enable a set of optical applications such as near-field imaging/trapping,nonlinear response,nanolithography,photon generation and detection.Finally,we put emphasis on the principle and applications of electrically driven bowtie antennas,an emerging method of generating ultrafast and broadband tunable nanosources.In a word,nanoscale bowtie antennas still have great potential research value to explore.

Writing with atoms： Oxygen adatoms on the MoO2/Mo（110） surface

Writing at the nanoscale using the desorption of oxygen adatoms from the oxygen-rich MoO2＋x/Mo（110） surface is demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）. High-temperature oxidation of the Mo（110） surface results in a strained, bulk-like MOO2（010） ultra-thin film with an O-Mo-O trilayer structure. Due to the lattice mismatch between the Mo（110） and the MOO2（010）, the latter consists of well-ordered molybdenum oxide nanorows separated by 2.5 nm. The MoO2（010）/Mo（110） structure is confirmed by STM data and density functional theory calculations. Further oxidation results in the oxygen-rich MoOa^x/Mo（110） surface, which exhibits perfectly aligned double rows of oxygen adatoms, imaged by STM as bright protrusions. These adatoms can be removed from the surface by scanning （or pulsing） at positive sample biases greater than 1.5 V. Tip movement along the surface can be used for controlled lithography （or writing） at the nanoscale, with a minimum feature size of just 3 nm. By moving the STM tip in a predetermined fashion, information can be written and read by applying specific biases between the surface and the tip.

Reversible switching of Kondo resonance in a single-molecule junction

The control of the Kondo effect is of great interest in single-molecule junction due to its potential applications in spin based electronics.Here,we demonstrate that the Kondo effect is reversibly switched on and off in an iron phthalocyanine(FePc)single-molecule junction by using a superconducting Nb tip.In a scanning tunneling microscope-based Nb-insulator-FePc-Au junction,we achieve a reversible switching between the Kondo dip and inelastic electronic tunneling spectra by simply adjusting the tip-sample distance to tune the tunnel coupling at low temperature.Further approaching the tip leads to the picking up of the molecule to the tip apex,which transfers the geometry of the single-molecule junction into a Nb-FePc-insulator-Au type.As the molecule forms an effective magnetic impurity embedded into the superconducting ground states of the Nb tip,the out-gap Kondo dip switched to an in-gap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov state.Our results open up a new route for manipulating the Kondo effect within a single-molecule junction.