ABSTRACT
This chapter considers a molecule or some definite atomic arrangement connected to metallic electrode(s). It reviews the most common experimental setups and achievements in the engineering of Molecular electronics (ME) devices. While the conventional electronics design traditionally assumes driving the current through metallic leads or semiconductors, one instead defines ME design as driving current either through the molecules and metal–molecular systems or along the conducting surfaces and controlling their properties by means of attached molecules. The electronic states of the free molecule, surface states, and their interaction constitute the combined structure of the extended molecule. Quantum-world phenomena such as inelastic scattering by phonons, electron–electron collisions, spin-flip processes, etc. lead to the loss of coherence between electrons traveling along the junction. In the presented model for chemisorption, the position of the adsorbent electron levels is considered relative to the Fermi level of the metal.
