Room temperature electron transport properties of single C60 studied using scanning tunneling microscope and break junctions

Abstract

We report the measurements of the electron transport of an individual C60 molecule through the combination of two experimental efforts. The nanometer-sized junctions were fabricated using electromigration combined with electron beam lithography and shadow effect evaporation. We performed the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements of dispersed C 60 molecules which were deposited on a highly ordered pyrolytic graphite substrate. The single electron tunneling through a single C 60 molecule due to the Coulomb blockage effect is observed at room temperature. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.