Patterning and Functionalizing Self-Assembled Monolayers

For fabricating nanometer-scale devices, functionalized molecular components must be positioned with a molecular resolution and their orientation must also be controlled. Self-assembly techniques were investigated, and various methods were developed for patterning and functionalizing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) which cover solid surfaces spontaneously with well-ordered and oriented molecules. For patterning SAMs, we studied the phase separation of binary component monolayers, molecular extraction, and growth control on patterned substrates. We are developing techniques for characterizing the functions of molecules in SAMs; for example, we detected a local change in electric conduction and barrier height depending on the molecular species.