Dresden 2009 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 52: Metal substrates: Adsorption of organic / bio molecules VII
O 52.10: Talk
Thursday, March 26, 2009, 17:15–17:30, SCH A118
Portrait of a potential barrier: electron tunneling at metal-organic interfaces — •Lucia Vitali1, Giacomo Levita2, Robin Ohmann1, Alessio Comisso3, Alessandro De Vita3, and Klaus Kern1 — 1Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart, Germany — 2INFM Democritos, University of Trieste, Italy — 3Physics Department, King s College, London
Organic semiconductors constitute the basis of a fast developing microelectronics and are successfully making the first steps towards high performance nanoscale devices. Further improvements and the design of new molecular-based electronic circuits require a better understanding of the charge transport and injection mechanisms. At present, one of the major constrains is given by the electron potential barrier forming at the molecule-metal interface. Here, by means of a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we visualize this metal-molecule interface on a local scale. We found that the molecular interaction with the substrate leads to the formation of a potential barrier which is non-uniform across the molecule. This reflects the relation between the chemical composition and the interaction with the metal surface.