New Technique To Develop Single-Molecule Diode

William Robinson writes: Under the direction of Latha Venkataraman, associate professor of applied physics at Columbia Engineering, researchers have designed a new technique to create a single-molecule diode, that has rectification ratio as high as 250, and 'ON' current as high as 0.1 microamps. The idea of creating a single-molecule diode was suggested by Arieh Aviram and Mark Ratner who theorized in 1974, which has been the 'holy grail' of molecular electronics ever since its inception to achieve further miniaturization, because single molecule represent the limit of miniaturization.

Comments

The limit? Not really.

[ArcadeMan]

I heard about an inventor that made a machine that could shrink objects. Nearly lost his kids in his backyard, too.

Only ONE Molecule?

[freeze128]

I'm going to need a smaller soldering iron.

Re:Limits?

[drinkypoo]

Obviously, our technology is not at the point where such a thing could be created. It may very well require molecules to be assembled atom-by-atom.

That doesn't actually preclude our doing it, although we won't be able to do it with a robot arm any time soon. (Would love to be wrong.) It might be possible to do it with biotech, though.

Re:single molecule represent the limit of miniatur

[rubycodez]

gaps with certain shapes can rectify at the quantum level also, I'm calling BS on the lower size limit too