As CMOS technology extends to and beyond 65-nm technology node, many challenges to MOSFET were raised. The industrial and academic communities are aggressively searching for solutions to meet these challenges: (1) non-classical CMOS to extend the life of CMOS technology, and (2) fundamentally new technologies to replace CMOS technology including molecular electronics. The approach of hybrid silicon/molecular electronics is to provide a smooth transition technology by integrating molecular intrinsic scalability and diverse properties with the vast infrastructure of traditional MOS technology. The focus of this research is on integrating redox-active, organic molecules into Si-based structures to first, characterize and understand the properties of molecules; second, generate a new class of hybrid silicon/molecular devices for memory applications; and third, open a new way to develop purely molecular-scale devices. This dissertation has concentrated on the fabrication, characterization and simulation of hybrid CMOS/molecular devices for memory applications: (1) Specific procedures have been successfully developed for attaching redox-active, tightly-bonded, well-packed, molecular self-assembled monolayers on Si and SiO2 surfaces via solution-phase or vapor-phase deposition. (2) An electrolyte/molecule/Si structure has been implemented for electrical characterizations and theoretical simulations to understand the molecules and their application in memory devices, including DRAM and FLASH devices. (3) Two different strategies to achieve multibit memory have been developed and optimized using the methods of attaching mixed monolayers and stacked multilayer films. (4) Molecular multilayer films with very high surface coverage have been achieved for application in memory devices. Metal/molecule/Si sandwich structures using molecular multilayer films were fabricated and exhibited nonvolatile electrical switching properties. A set of control experiments indicate that these sw.

Keywords: nonvolatile, Molecular Electronics, MOSFET, CMOS, memory device, capacitor, redox, DRAM, impedance, charge storage, retention, conductance, hysteresis, capacitance, switching, hybrid silicon/molecular electronics, self-assembled monolayer.

The ability to study and manipulate matter at the nanoscale is the defining feature of 21st-century science. The first edition of the standard-setting Handbook of Nanoscience, Engineering, and Technology saw the field through its infancy. Reassembling the preeminent team of leading scientists and researchers from all areas of nanoscience and nanote

How to develop innovative architectures based on emerging molecular devices? The simple yet ambitious objective of Molecular Electronics Materials, Devices and Applications is to give the reader the necessary information to understand the challenges and opportunities of this recent field of research. In order to provide a good overview and understanding, the main molecular devices are first presented. A complete set of presentation and discussion of the actual molecular architectures follows. Nevertheless, another goal of Molecular Electronics Materials, Devices and Applications is also to promote a practical approach. As a starting point for future developments, a pragmatic methodology for VHDL-AMS device modelling and circuit design based on experimental data is then proposed. It includes an original fault tolerant memory architecture based on molecular electronics.

The focus of this dissertation is on creating electronic devices that utilize unique charge storage properties of redox-active organic molecules for memory applications. A hybrid silicon-molecular approach has been adopted to make use of the advantages of the existing silicon technology, as well as to study and exploit the interaction between the organic molecules and the bulk semiconductor. As technology heads into the nano regime, this hybrid approach may prove to be the bridge between the existing Si-only technology and a future molecule-only technology. Functionalized monolayers of redox-active molecules were formed on silicon surfaces of different doping types and densities. Electrolyte-molecule-silicon test structures were electrically characterized and studied using cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy techniques. The dependence of the oxidation and reduction processes on the silicon doping type and density were analyzed and explained using voltage balance equations and surface potentials of silicon. The role played by the silicon substrate on the operation of these memory devices was identified. Multiple bits in a single cell were achieved using either molecules exhibiting multiple stable redox states or mixed monolayer of different molecules. Self-assembled monolayers of redox-active molecules were also incorporated on varying thickness of silicon dioxide on n- and p- silicon substrates in an attempt to create non-volatile memory. The dependences of read/write/erase voltages and retention times of these devices were correlated to the SiO2 thickness by using a combination of Butler-Volmer and semiconductor theories. The region of operation of the silicon surface (accumulation, depletion or inversion) and the extent of tunneling current through the silicon dioxide were found to influence the charging and discharging of the molecules in the monolayer. Increased retention times due to the presence of SiO2 can be useful in realizing non-volatile memorie.

There are fundamental and technological limits of conventional microfabrication and microelectronics. Scaling down conventional devices and attempts to develop novel topologies and architectures will soon be ineffective or unachievable at the device and system levels to ensure desired performance. Forward-looking experts continue to search for new paradigms to carry the field beyond the age of microelectronics, and molecular electronics is one of the most promising candidates. The Nano and Molecular Electronics Handbook surveys the current state of this exciting, emerging field and looks toward future developments and opportunities. Molecular and Nano Electronics Explained Explore the fundamentals of device physics, synthesis, and design of molecular processing platforms and molecular integrated circuits within three-dimensional topologies, organizations, and architectures as well as bottom-up fabrication utilizing quantum effects and unique phenomena. Technology in Progress Stay current with the latest results and practical solutions realized for nanoscale and molecular electronics as well as biomolecular electronics and memories. Learn design concepts, device-level modeling, simulation methods, and fabrication technologies used for today's applications and beyond. Reports from the Front Lines of Research Expert innovators discuss the results of cutting-edge research and provide informed and insightful commentary on where this new paradigm will lead. The Nano and Molecular Electronics Handbook ranks among the most complete and authoritative guides to the past, present, and future of this revolutionary area of theory and technology.