The electronic transport in single molecules, linked between a metallic substrate and a SNOM tip, will be studied by inelastic scattering methods

• Applicant: Dr. Joachim Reichert
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2006 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 25002787

Electronic transport measurements on single molecules which are immobilized by self-assembling techniques between two metallic electrodes proofed the ability of organic molecules to act as functional parts in nano-scale-devices. Recent developments and advances in atomic-scale imaging and manipulation techniques enables access to a new field of single molecule experiments. Especially scanning near field optical microcopy with its ability to apply an optical field to a molecular system in a controlled manner enlarges the range of experimentally available properties in metal-anchored molecular junctions. A novel method to contact single molecules with a SNOM-tip has been developed. In parallel it has been proofed, that Raman spectroscopy on a molecular level of adsorbates on Au using the same kind of tetrahedral SNOM-tip is possible. We propose to combine these two experiments to perform Raman spectroscopy and conductance measurements at the same time. Analysis of the vibrational spectrum of a molecule in between two metallic electrodes would verify that the desired and only the desired molecular species is present. Such an analysis would furthermore lead to physical insights that as far as known have not been studied yet.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1243: Quantum Transport at the Molecular Scale