Electrical contacts to molecular layers by nanotransfer printing

We introduce a novel approach, nanotransfer printing (nTP), to fabricate top-contact electrodes in Au/1,8-octanedithiol/GaAs junctions. Current-voltage and photoresponse experiments were conducted to evaluate the nature of electrical contact. Results show that the nTP method produces superior devices in which the electrical transport in nTP devices occurs through the 1,8-octanedithiol molecules. By contrast, conventional evaporation of Au onto the molecules results in direct Au/GaAs contacts. Thus, nTP is potentially useful for making electrical contacts in molecular electronics.