Current-voltage characteristics in donor-acceptor systems: Implications of a spatially varying electric field

Abstract

We have studied the transport properties of a molecular device composed of donor and acceptor moieties between two electrodes on either side. The device is considered to be one-dimensional with different on-site energies and the non-equilibrium properties are calculated using Landauer's formalism. The current-voltage characteristics is found to be asymmetric with a sharp Negative Differential Resistance at a critical bias on one side and very small current on the other side. The NDR arises primarily due to the bias driven electronic structure change from one kind of insulating phase to another through a highly delocalized conducting phase. Our model can be considered to be the simplest to explain the experimental current-voltage characteristics observed in many molecular devices.

5 pages, 4 figures (accepted for publication in Physical Review B)

References in corpus (2)

• Conductance switching in a molecular device: the role of sidegroups and intermolecular interactio
• The electrostatic potential profile along a biased molecular wire: A model quantum mechanical calculation

Cited by in corpus (5)

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• Negative differential resistance in nanoscale transport in the Coulomb blockade
• Negative Differential Conductance in Nano-junctions: A Current Constrained Approach
• Rectification effects in coherent transport through single molecules
• External Electric Field Mediated Quantum Phase Transitions in One-Dimensional Charge Ordered Insulators: A DMRG Study