Fabrication of Metal–Insulator–Metal Junction with Metallic Conductive Langmuir–Blodgett Films

AbstractThe Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique can deposit a soft coating without damaging the substrate. Thus, the technique is appropriate for coating fragile materials such as nano-structures and biomaterials. We fabricated electrical contacts on a dodecanethiol self-assembled monolayer (C12 SAM) using metallic conductive LB films of BEDO-TTF/stearic acid. We then prepared a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) junction, in which the C12 SAM was sandwiched between the LB films and Au surface. The current–voltage characteristics across the MIM junction exhibited nonlinear behavior, which suggests that tunneling is the dominant conduction mechanism. The tunneling characteristic parameters calculated using the Simmons tunneling model were in agreement with previous reports. These results show that metallic conductive LB films can serve as a soft electrode for use with delicate materials