Self-assembled metal/molecule/semiconductor nanostructures for electronic device and contact applications

We report a fabrication approach in which we combine self-assembled metal/m olecule nanostructures with chemically stable semiconductor surface layers. The resulting structures have well controlled dimensions and geometries (s imilar to 4 nm Au nanoclusters) provided by the chemical self-assembly and have stable, low-resistance interfaces realized by the chemically stable se miconductor cap layer (low-temperature grown GaAs passivated by the organic tether molecules). Scanning tunneling microscope imaging and current-volta ge spectroscopy of nanocontacts to n-GaAs fabricated using this approach in dicate high quality, ohmic nanocontacts having a specific contact resistanc e of similar to 1 x 10(-7) Omega . cm(2) and a maximum current density of s imilar to 1 x 10(7) A/cm(2), both comparable to those observed in large are a contacts. Uniform 2-D arrays of these nanocontact structures have been fa bricated and characterized as potential cells for nanoelectronic device app lications.