Influence of Illumination on the Electrical Transport Properties of Single Molecules and Small Layers of Molecules

•Jan U. Würfel1, Heiko B. Weber1, Joachim Reichert1, Marcel Mayor1 und Hilbert v. Löhneysen2,3
1Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Nanotechnologie, Postfach 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe
2Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Festkörperphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe
3Physikalisches Institut, Universität Karlsruhe, D-76128 Karlsruhe

We study the influence of light on the conductance properties of conjugated molecules. To obtain molecular junctions, we apply two different methods: First, single molecules are contacted via the mechanically controlled break-junction technique [1]. Second, molecular monolayers are self assembled in a 50 nm diameter nanopore sandwiched between two gold surfaces. Experimental progress is discussed.