We present a method to make Pt nanometer-spaced electrodes that are free of metallic particles and stable at ambient conditions. The nanogaps are fabricated using feedback-controlled electromigration to form few-atom contacts. When performing this procedure at elevated temperatures , the Pt contacts undergo self-breaking so that nanometer separated electrode pairs are formed. Once cooled down to lower temperatures, the nanogaps stabilize and can be characterized in detail. We find that current-voltage characteristics can be well fitted to a Simmons model for tunneling and gap-size fluctuations at room temperature determined from these fits stay within 0.6 Å for at least 50 h.
REFERENCES
1.
H.
Park
, A. K. L.
Lim
, A. P.
Alivisatos
, J.
Park
, and P. L.
McEuen
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
75
, 301
(1999
).2.
D.
Natelson
, L. H.
Yu
, J. W.
Ciszek
, Z. K.
Keane
, and J. M.
Tour
, Chem. Phys.
76
, 267
(2005
).3.
D. R.
Strachan
, D. E.
Smith
, M. D.
Fischbein
, D. E.
Johnston
, B. S.
Guiton
, M.
Drndic
, D. A.
Bonnel
, and A. T.
Johnson
, Jr., Nano Lett.
6
, 441
(2006
).4.
K.
O’Neill
, E. A.
Osorio
, and H. S. J.
van der Zant
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
90
, 133109
(2007
).5.
R.
Sordan
, B.
Balasubramanian
, M.
Burghard
, and K.
Kern
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
87
, 013106
(2005
).6.
H. S. J.
van der Zant
, Y. -V.
Kervennic
, M.
Poot
, K.
O’Neill
, Z.
de Groot
, H. B.
Heersche
, N.
Stuhr-Hansen
, T.
Bjørnholm
, D.
Vanmaekelenbergh
, C. A.
van Walree
, and L. W.
Jenneskens
, Faraday Discuss.
131
, 347
(2006
).7.
D. R.
Strachan
, D. E.
Smith
, D. E.
Johnston
, T. -H.
Park
, M. J.
Therien
, D. A.
Bonnel
, and A. T.
Johnson
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
86
, 043109
(2005
).8.
F.
Pauly
, M.
Dreher
, J. K.
Viljas
, M.
Häfner
, J. C.
Cuevas
, and P.
Nielaba
, Phys. Rev. B
74
, 235106
(2006
).9.
No literature value for the grain boundary self diffusion was found for Pt.
10.
H. B.
Heersche
, G.
Lientschnig
, K.
O’Neill
, H. S. J.
van der Zant
, and H. W.
Zandbergen
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
91
, 072107
(2007
).11.
The self-breaking rates of the constrictions on the substrate are comparable to those on .
12.
13.
M. L.
Trouwborst
, S. J.
van der Molen
, and B. J.
van Wees
, J. Appl. Phys.
99
, 114316
(2006
).14.
T.
Taychatanapat
, K. I.
Bolotin
, F.
Kuemmeth
, and D. C.
Ralph
, Nano Lett.
7
, 652
(2007
).15.
D. R.
Ward
, N. J.
Halas
, and D.
Natelson
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
93
, 213108
(2008
).© 2009 American Institute of Physics.
2009
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.