Activationless charge transport across 4.5 to 22 nm in molecular electronic junctions

In this work, we bridge the gap between short-range tunneling in molecular junctions and activated hopping in bulk organic films, and greatly extend the distance range of charge transport in molecular electronic devices. Three distinct transport mechanisms were observed for 4.5–22-nm-thick oligo(thiophene) layers between carbon contacts, with tunneling operative when d < 8 nm, activated hopping when d > 16 nm for high temperatures and low bias, and a third mechanism consistent with field-induced ionization of highest occupied molecular orbitals or interface states to generate charge carriers when d = 8–22 nm. Transport in the 8–22-nm range is weakly temperature dependent, with a field-dependent activation barrier that becomes negligible at moderate bias. We thus report here a unique, activationless transport mechanism, operative over 8–22-nm distances without involving hopping, which severely limits carrier mobility and device lifetime in organic semiconductors. Charge transport in molecular electronic junctions can thus be effective for transport distances significantly greater than the 1–5 nm associated with quantum-mechanical tunneling.