Journal article
Electrical properties of Si-SiO(2)-Si nanogaps
Solid State Electronics Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Chalmers University of Technology, SE-41296 Göteborg, Sweden.1
The chances of attaching organic molecules to silicon surfaces can be considerably enhanced if a robust nanogap structure with silicon electrodes can be used to connect the molecules. We describe the electrical properties of such an electrode structure, with a separation of the silicon surfaces in the 3-7 nm range.
These silicon nanogaps are manufactured by partly removing the silicon dioxide insulator from a silicon-oxide-silicon material stack, by using a selective oxide etchant. After the activation of the gap (the etching), current instabilities appear, which are comparable to the properties of thin oxides after soft breakdown.
Applying a constant voltage can reduce these current instabilities. We also address the issue of surface leakage currents for these nanogap structures.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 2005 |
Pages: | 2197-202 |
ISSN: | 09574484 and 13616528 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1088/0957-4484/16/10/037 |