Controlled Fabrication of Metallic Electrodes with Atomic Separation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel, simple, and controllable method for fabricating metallic electrodes with atomic-scale separation on insulating substrates, enabling advanced molecular and electronic device interfacing.

Contribution

It presents a new lithographic and electrochemical technique that achieves atomic resolution without sophisticated equipment, improving fabrication control and robustness.

Findings

Achieved metallic electrode separation on the 1 nm scale.

Method is simple, controllable, and reversible.

High yield in rapid electrode pair fabrication.

Abstract

We report a new technique for fabricating metallic electrodes on insulating substrates with separations on the 1 nm scale. The fabrication technique, which combines lithographic and electrochemical methods, provides atomic resolution without requiring sophisticated instrumentation. The process is simple, controllable, reversible, and robust, allowing rapid fabrication of electrode pairs with high yield. We expect the method to prove useful in interfacing molecular-scale structures to macroscopic probes and electronic devices .