Orateur : Katharina Kaiser – IPCMS/DSI

Résumé :

When we talk about molecules in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we typically refer to a
geometry that essentially consists of a molecule that is sandwiched between two tunnel barriers
and metal electrodes. Basically, this corresponds to the geometry of an organic resonant tunnel
diode, or photodiode, if dyes are used instead of just any molecule. Only in this case, instead of
a huge ensemble of molecules arranged in a thin film, we have a single molecule. And instead of
a plate capacitor–like arrangement of electrodes, one electrode is an atomically sharp tip that
allows us to observe and manipulate the molecule with atomic resolution and precision.
In my talk, I will show you how this allows us to understand what happens during charge
transport through a molecule and what possibilities there are to actively control the light
emission from such a single–molecule tunnel photodiode.
[1] K. Kaiser et al, “Charge–state lifetimes of single molecules on few monolayers of NaCl” Nature
Comm. 14, 4988 (2023).
[2] K. Kaiser et al, “Electrically driven cascaded photon–emission in a single molecule” in
preparation.

Contact : Arnaud GLOPPE (arnaud.gloppe@ipcms.unistra.fr) – Guillaume SCHULL (schull@unistra.fr)