Intellectual Property Office

Non-Confidential Disclosures

"Improved Contacts for Molecular Devices”

PSU Inv. Disc. No 2454
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Keywords:

Nanotechnology, Molecular Electronics, Deposition

Inventors:

Thomas Jackson

Links:

US Patent 6,703,300
Inventor Website

Background:

There is increasing interest in electronic devices that have molecular films as integral components. Appropriate choices of molecules and the techniques to deposit them allow the production of dense, well-ordered films of molecules. In electronic devices it is important to make electrical contact to both sides of a molecular layer, resulting in a "sandwiched" structure. However, molecular layers are extremely thin - several nanometers at most - and sandwiched structures presently yield few working devices. Most devices most often fail because of shorts between the two contacts. Crystal defects in the metal also cause failure.

Invention description:

The disclosed invention is a simple, modified deposition technique to reduce failure of molecular-layer devices. In this technique, metal atoms are deposited on the molecules at an oblique angle. This simple technique prevents the deposited metal from forming shorts to the underlying metal contact. The technique can be combined with reactive chemistry and other deposition methods in order to meet the demands of manufacturing.

Advantages:

• Reduced failure of devices
• Manufactured per existing methods methods for chemical deposition
• May be integrated with optoelectronic devices
  

Contact:

Richard M. Weyer
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 865-6279
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail: rmw4@psu.edu