Die Verwendung einzelner Moleküle als aktive Elemente elektronischer Bauteile wird derzeit als potentielle Alternative zur halbleiterbasierten Nanoelektronik angesehen, da einzelne Moleküle a priori nur einige Nanometer groß sind. Auß erdem kann dabei eventuell eine vereinfachte Verarbeitung und Herstellung der Bauteile erreicht werden. In dieser Arbeit werden das Selbstaggregationsverhalten und die Elektrontransporteigenschaften konjugierter Moleküle mit Rastertunnelmikroskopie (RTM) und -spektroskopie (RTS) an einer Fest-Flüssig-Grenzfläche und unter Ultrahochvakuumbedingungen bei tiefen Temperaturen untersucht. Ihre mögliche Verwendung in hybrid-molekularen Bauteilen als auch Ansätze für eine mono-molekulare Elektronik werden erkundet. Insbesondere wird die Nano-Phasenseparation von Elektron-Donor-Akzeptor-Multiaden an der Fest-Flüssig-Grenzfläche demonstriert, die zur Integration verschiedener elektronischer Funktionen auf der Nanoskala benutzt werden kann. Desweiteren wird die Abhängigkeit der elektronischen Kopplung scheibenförmiger gestapelter Moleküle vom lateralen Versatz innerhalb des Stapels experimentell nachgewiesen. Dies eröffnet neue Möglichkeiten die elektronischen Eigenschaften solcher dreidimensionaler Architekturen gezielt zu beeinflussen. Außerdem werden die ersten RTM/RTS-Untersuchungen von Ladungstransferprozessen in einzelnen organischer Donor-Akzeptor-Komplexe präsentiert. Schließlich werden die Ladungstransferkomplexe mit dem Ansatz der Nano-Phasenseparation kombiniert, um den ersten Einzelmolekültransistor mit intergrierten Nanogates zu realisieren. In diesem prototypischen Bauteil wird die Strom-Spannungs-Kennlinie einer hybrid-molekularen Diode, die aus einem Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronen (HBC) im Tunnelspalt eines RTMs besteht, durch einen kovalent an das HBC gebundenen Ladungstransferkomplex modifiziert. Dies wird als wichtiger Schritt in Richtung einer mono-molekularen Elektronik angesehen. / The use of single molecules as active components in electronic devices is presently considered a potential alternative to semiconductor-based nano-scale electronics since it directly provides precisely-defined nano-scale components for electronic devices which eventually allows for simple processing and devicefabrication. In this thesis the self-assembly and electron transport properties of conjugated molecules are investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) at solid-liquid interfaces and under ultrahigh vacuum conditions and low temperatures. The use of the molecules in hybrid-molecular electronic devices and potential approaches to a mono-molecular electronics are explored. In particular, electron-donor-acceptor-multiads are shown to exhibit a nano-phase-segregation at the solid-liquid interface which allows for the integration of different electronic functions at the nano-scale. Furthermore, the dependence of the electronic coupling of stacked disk-like molecules on the lateral off-set in the stack is demonstrated experimentally which offers new possibilities for the control of the electronic properties of these three-dimensional architectures. In addition the first STM/STS experiments on charge transfer in single organic donor-acceptor complexes are presented. Finally, charge transfer complexes are combined with the approach of nano-phase-segregation to realize the first single-molecule transistor with integrated nanometer-sized gates. In this prototypical device the current through a hybrid-molecular diode made from a hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) in the junction of the STM is modified by charge transfer complexes covalently attached to the HBC in the gap. Since the donor which complexes the covalently attached acceptor comes from the ambient fluid the set-up represents a single-molecule chemical field-effect transistor with nanometer-sized gates. This is considered a major step towards mono-molecular electronics.

PhD / SYNOPSIS OF THIS THESIS The aim of this thesis is to more fully understand and explain the binding mechanism of organic molecules to the Au(111) surface and to explore the conduction of such molecules. It consists of five discreet chapters connected to each other by the central theme of “The Single Molecule Device: Conductance and Binding”. There is a deliberate concentration on azine linkers, in particular those with a 1,10-phenanthroline-type bidentate configuration at each end. This linker unit is called a “molecular alligator clip” and is investigated as an alternative to the thiol linker unit more commonly used. Chapter 1 places the work in the broad context of Molecular Electronics and establishes the need for this research. In Chapter 2 the multiple break-junction technique (using a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope or similar device) was used to investigate the conductance of various molecules with azine linkers. A major finding of those experiments is that solvent interactions are a key factor in the conductance signal of particular molecules. Some solvents interfere with the molecule’s interaction with and attachment to the gold electrodes. One indicator of the degree of this interference is the extent of the enhancement or otherwise of the gold quantized conduction peak at 1.0 G0. Below 1.0 G0 a broad range for which the molecule enhances conduction indicates that solvent interactions contribute to a variety of structures which could bridge the electrodes, each with their own specific conductance value. The use of histograms with a Log10 scale for conductance proved useful for observing broad range features. vi Another factor which affects the conductance signal is the geometric alignment of the molecule (or the molecule-solvent structure) to the gold electrode, and the molecular alignment is explored in Chapters 3 for 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) and Chapter 4 for thiols. In Chapter 3 STM images, electrochemistry, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) are used to determine 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) structures on the Au(111) surface. It is established that PHEN binds in two modes, a physisorbed state and a chemisorbed state. The chemisorbed state is more stable and involves the extraction of gold from the bulk to form adatom-PHEN entities which are highly mobile on the gold surface. Surface pitting is viewed as evidential of the formation of the adatom-molecule entities. DFT calculations in this chapter were performed by Ante Bilic and Jeffery Reimers. The conclusions to Chapter 3 implicate the adatom as a binding mode of thiols to gold and this is explored in Chapter 4 by a timely review of nascent research in the field. The adatom motif is identified as the major binding structure for thiol terminated molecules to gold, using the explanation of surface pitting in Chapter 3 as major evidence and substantiated by emergent literature, both experimental and theoretical. Furthermore, the effect of this binding mode on conductance is explored and structures relevant to the break-junction experiment of Chapter 2 are identified and their conductance values compared. Finally, as a result of researching extensive reports of molecular conductance values, and having attempted the same, a simple method for predicting the conductance of single molecules is presented based upon the tunneling conductance formula.

The field of organic electronics, in which -conjugated, organic molecules and polymers are used as the active components (e.g., semiconductor, light emitter/harvester, etc.), has lead to a number a number of key technological developments that have been founded within fundamental research disciplines. In the Dissertation that follows, the research involves the use of quantum-chemical techniques to elucidate fundamental aspects of both intermolecular and intramolecular electron-transfer processes in organic, -conjugated molecules. The Dissertation begins with an introduction and brief review of organic molecular systems used as electron-transport semiconducting materials in device applications and/or in the fundamental studies of intramolecular mixed-valence processes. This introductory material is then followed by a brief review of the electronic-structure methods (e.g., Hartree-Fock theory and Density Functional Theory) and electron-transfer theory (i.e., semiclassical Marcus theory) employed throughout the investigations. The next three Chapters deal with investigations related to the characterization of non-rigid, -conjugated molecular systems that have amorphous solid-state properties used as the electron-transport layer in organic electronic and optoelectronic devices. Chapters 3 and 4 involve studies of silole- (silacyclopentadiene)-based materials that possess attractive electronic and optical properties in the solid state. Chapter 5 offers a preliminary study of dioxaborine-based molecular structures as electron-transport systems. In Chapters 6 8, the focus of the work shifts to investigations of organic mixed-valence systems. Chapter 6 centers on the examination of tetraanisylarylenediamine systems where the inter-redox site distances are approximately equal throughout the series. Chapter 7 examines the bridge-length dependence of the geometric structure, charge-(de)localization, and electronic coupling for a series of vinylene- and phenylene-vinylene-bridged bis-dianisylamines. In Chapter 8, the role of symmetric vibrations in the delocalization of the excess charge is studied in a dioxaborine radical-anion and a series of radical-cation bridged-bisdimethylamines. Finally, Chapter 9 provides a synopsis of the work and goals for future consideration.

Eine Reihe wichtiger Wachstums- und Integrationsaspekte von Kohlenstoff-Nanoröhren wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt der experimentellen Arbeit lag dabei hauptsächlich bei einschaligen Kohlenstoffnanoröhren (SWCNT). Das große Potential dieser Nanoröhren für Transistor-Anwendungen wurde durch die Herstellung einer Vielzahl funktionierender Bauelemente aus diesen Kohlenstoffnanoröhren mittels relativ einfacher Herstellungsprozesse demonstriert. Ein fundiertes Verständnis für die Abhängigkeiten des Nanoröhrenwachstums von einer Vielzahl an Parametern wurde mit Hilfe mehrerer tausend Wachstumsexperimente gesammelt. Verschiedene Katalysatormetalle, Kohlenstoffquellen und Katalysatorunterlagen wurden detailliert untersucht. Ein Hauptaugenmerk wurde dabei auf eine Reduzierung der Wachstumstemperatur gerichtet. Die niedrige Wachstumstemperatur spielt eine große Rolle für eine möglichst hohe Kompatibilität mit konventionellen Herstellungsverfahren der Silizium-Halbleitertechnik. Ein einfaches phänomenologisches Wachstumsmodell wurde für die Synthese von Nanoröhren mittels katalytisch-chemischer Gasphasen-Abscheidung (CCVD) formuliert. Dieses Modell basiert hauptsächlich auf der Oberflächendiffusion von adsorbierten Kohlenstoffverbindungen entlang der Seitenwände der Nanoröhren sowie auf der Oberfläche der Katalysatorunterlage. Das Modell ist eine wichtige Ergänzung zu dem VLS-Mechanismus. Ein Wachstumsverfahren zur Herstellung von Nanoröhren für niedrigere Temperaturen bis zu 600 °C wurde entwickelt. Experimentell wurde nachgewiesen, dass der Durchmesser des Katalysatorteilchens fast ausschließlich bestimmt, wie viele Schalen eine wachsende Nanoröhre bei geeigneten Wachstumsbedingungen hat. Es wurde zum ersten Mal gezeigt, dass einschalige Kohlenstoffnanoröhren auf Metallelektroden wachsen werden können, insofern eine dünne Aluminiumschicht als Trennschicht verwendet wird. Dadurch können in-situ kontaktierte Nanoröhren einfach hergestellt werden, was deren elektrische Charakterisierung weitaus erleichtert. Mittels stromloser Abscheidung von Nickel oder Palladium aus einer Lösung konnte eine deutliche Verbesserung der Kontaktwiderstände der in-situ-kontaktierten Nanoröhren erreicht werden. Durch Einbettung von Nanoröhren in eine Tantaloxidschicht konnten Transistoren mit einem Dielektrikum mit hoher relativer Dielektrizitätskonstante hergestellt werden. Die Tantaloxidschicht wurde mit einem neu entwickelten Tauchprozess abgeschieden. Erstmalig wurden Transistoren basierend auf Kohlenstoffnanoröhren hergestellt, die relativ hohe Ströme (Milliampere) mit einer Modulation bis zu einem Faktor 500 schalten können. Diese Transistoren beruhen auf einer Parallelschaltung einer großen Anzahl an Nanoröhren. Mit Hilfe der hergestellten Transistoren konnten die Eigenschaften einer großen Zahl von Nanoröhren untersucht werden, wobei große Unterschiede in den elektronischen Eigenschaften von metallischen Nanoröhren, halbleitenden Nanoröhren und Nanoröhren mit einer kleinen Bandlücke beobachtet wurden. / A number of very important growth and integration aspects of carbon nanotubes have been investigated during the course of this thesis. The focus was mainly on single-walled carbon nanotubes. Their potential for transistor applications was demonstrated by the successful fabrication of a variety of devices using rather simple processes. A detailed understanding of the dependence of SWCNT growth on a variety of parameters was obtained as the result of several thousand growth experiments. Various catalyst materials, gaseous carbon sources, and catalyst supports have been investigated. Special attention was paid to a considerable reduction of the growth temperature. A simple phenomenological growth model could be derived for CCVD of SWCNTs taking into account a number of effects observed during the various growth experiments. The model presented is mainly based on the surface diffusion of carbon species along the sidewalls of the carbon nanotubes or on the catalyst support and is an addition to the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. Growth methods for the CCVD synthesis of SWCNTs were developed for temperatures as low as 600 °C. It has been found that the size of the catalyst particle alone determines whether a SWCNT, DWCNT, or MWCNT will nucleate from a specific particle under suitable growth conditions. It could be demonstrated for the first time that SWCNTs can be grown on a variety of conducting materials if the catalyst is separated from the electrode by a thin Al layer. In-situ contacted SWCNTs can be easily obtained that way, largely facilitating the electronic characterization of as-grown SWCNTs. A tremendous improvement of the contacts of in-situ contacted SWCNTs could be achieved by electroless deposition. SWCNT growth on appropriate electrodes allowed the encapsulation of the nanotubes by electroless deposition of Ni and Pd, yielding good and reliable contacts. SWCNT transistors with a high-k dielectric could be fabricated by encapsulation of the nanotube with a tantalum oxide layer. The tantalum oxide was deposited by a newly developed dip-coat process. High-current SWCNT transistors consisting of a large number of SWCNTs in parallel were demonstrated for the first time during this work. Finally, the properties of a large number of CCVD grown SWCNTs have been investigated by electronic transport measurement. Large differences in the electronic transport have been observed for metallic, small band gap semiconducting (SGS), and semiconducting SWCNTs with small diameters.

Supramolecular electronics aims to construct and investigate the optoelectronic properties of tailored supramolecular nanoarchitectures. The aim of this thesis is to get control over the organization of organic molecular systems and correlate their structure with the electrical properties, with particular attention at the nanoscale properties. The exploited strategies require a focused molecular design, the balancing of intermolecular and interfacial interactions, a control on the kinetics of the processes and possibly the exploitation of external forces. The presented results showed that understanding the local properties of a material on a nanoscale basis is a huge fundamental challenge to bring solutions to both scientific and technological issues, since in electronic devices the performances are strongly dependent on the order at the supramolecular level.

PhD / SYNOPSIS OF THIS THESIS The aim of this thesis is to more fully understand and explain the binding mechanism of organic molecules to the Au(111) surface and to explore the conduction of such molecules. It consists of five discreet chapters connected to each other by the central theme of “The Single Molecule Device: Conductance and Binding”. There is a deliberate concentration on azine linkers, in particular those with a 1,10-phenanthroline-type bidentate configuration at each end. This linker unit is called a “molecular alligator clip” and is investigated as an alternative to the thiol linker unit more commonly used. Chapter 1 places the work in the broad context of Molecular Electronics and establishes the need for this research. In Chapter 2 the multiple break-junction technique (using a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope or similar device) was used to investigate the conductance of various molecules with azine linkers. A major finding of those experiments is that solvent interactions are a key factor in the conductance signal of particular molecules. Some solvents interfere with the molecule’s interaction with and attachment to the gold electrodes. One indicator of the degree of this interference is the extent of the enhancement or otherwise of the gold quantized conduction peak at 1.0 G0. Below 1.0 G0 a broad range for which the molecule enhances conduction indicates that solvent interactions contribute to a variety of structures which could bridge the electrodes, each with their own specific conductance value. The use of histograms with a Log10 scale for conductance proved useful for observing broad range features. vi Another factor which affects the conductance signal is the geometric alignment of the molecule (or the molecule-solvent structure) to the gold electrode, and the molecular alignment is explored in Chapters 3 for 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) and Chapter 4 for thiols. In Chapter 3 STM images, electrochemistry, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) are used to determine 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) structures on the Au(111) surface. It is established that PHEN binds in two modes, a physisorbed state and a chemisorbed state. The chemisorbed state is more stable and involves the extraction of gold from the bulk to form adatom-PHEN entities which are highly mobile on the gold surface. Surface pitting is viewed as evidential of the formation of the adatom-molecule entities. DFT calculations in this chapter were performed by Ante Bilic and Jeffery Reimers. The conclusions to Chapter 3 implicate the adatom as a binding mode of thiols to gold and this is explored in Chapter 4 by a timely review of nascent research in the field. The adatom motif is identified as the major binding structure for thiol terminated molecules to gold, using the explanation of surface pitting in Chapter 3 as major evidence and substantiated by emergent literature, both experimental and theoretical. Furthermore, the effect of this binding mode on conductance is explored and structures relevant to the break-junction experiment of Chapter 2 are identified and their conductance values compared. Finally, as a result of researching extensive reports of molecular conductance values, and having attempted the same, a simple method for predicting the conductance of single molecules is presented based upon the tunneling conductance formula.

L'utilisation de systèmes moléculaires individuels pouvant jouer le rôle de composants avec des fonctions électroniques ou logiques requiert des interfaces parfaitement contrôlées. Plus précisément, le support sur lequel ces systèmes sont déposés et les électrodes métalliques qui permettent de contacter une molécule individuelle, sont des interfaces qui nécessitent un soin d'élaboration particulier. La croissance d'îlots bidimensionnels (2d) de métaux sur un isolant monocristallin permet de générer des nano-plots 2d pouvant servir de réservoirs d'électrons en minimisant les courants de fuite en surface. Ainsi, il apparaît capital de bien comprendre les modes de croissance des systèmes métal/isolant qui sont à l'heure actuelle mal connus. Ce travail de thèse s'attache à décrire et à expliquer la croissance de différents métaux sur la surface de l'AlN(0001) polaire, qui est un composé nitrure à grand gap, par des calculs basés sur la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT).Dans un premier temps, une description approfondie des différentes surfaces du nitrure d'aluminium est présentée. Des calculs DFT ont permis de rationaliser les reconstructions en fonction des conditions expérimentales. La reconstruction (2 x 2)-Nad est discutée, puisqu'elle a été observée en microscopie à force atomique. Dans un deuxième temps, le cas du dépôt d'atomes d'or est abordé en connexion avec des résultats expérimentaux. Les calculs DFT donnent un aperçu des mécanismes qui conduisent à la stabilisation d'îlots 2d sur l'AlN. L'adsorption d'or s'accompagne, d'une part, d'un transfert de charge vertical provenant du substrat d'AlN, ce qui satisfait au critère de stabilité électrostatique pour un matériau polaire et, deuxièmement, par des transferts de charges horizontaux reliés aux propriétés acido-basiques locales de la reconstruction (2 x 2)-Nad. Enfin, des calculs effectués sur deux autres métaux, le magnésium et l'argent, sont exposés. Ces résultats ouvrent la voie à de nouvelles stratégies utilisant des substrats polaires pour développer des monocouches métalliques sur des substrats isolants. / The use of individual molecular systems that can act as components with electronic or logical functions requires perfectly controlled interfaces. More precisely, the support on which these systems are deposited and the metal electrodes that allow to contact an individual molecule, are interfaces that require special care in preparation. The growth of two-dimensional (2d) islands of metals on a monocrystalline insulator allows to generate 2d nano-pads that can be used as electron reservoirs by minimizing surface leakage currents. Thus, it is essential to understand the growth modes of metal/insulating systems which are at present poorly known. This work aims at describing and explaining the growth of different metals on the surface of the polar AlN (0001), which is a large gap nitride compound, by calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). In a first step, a detailed description of the various surfaces of the aluminum nitride is presented. DFT calculations permit to rationalize the reconstructions according to the experimental conditions. The (2 x 2)-Nad reconstruction is discussed, since it was observed by atomic force microscopy. In a second step, the case of the deposit of gold atoms is tackled in connection with experimental results. DFT calculations give an overview of the mechanisms that lead to the stabilization of 2d islands on AlN. The adsorption of gold is accompanied, on the one hand, by a vertical charge transfer from the AlN substrate, which satisfies the electrostatic stability criterion for a polar material and, on the other hand, by horizontal charge transfers related to the local acid-base properties of the (2 x 2)-Nad reconstruction. Finally, calculations made on two other metals, magnesium and silver, are exposed. These results open the way to new strategies using polar substrates to develop metallic monolayers on insulating substrates.

L'électronique moléculaire est l'un des domaines les plus intrigants de la recherche moderne. Ce domaine pourrait produire un système de construction modulaire et évolutif pour des applications spintroniques à l'échelle nanométrique. Un exemple particulièrement prometteur est celui des aimants à une seule molécule, qui se sont déjà avérés être appropriés pour des la réalisation de spin valve et de qubit de spin. L'un des plus grands défis du domaine est l'intégration de ces objets de taille nanométrique dans des circuits complexes afin de permettre la détection et la manipulation d'états de spin moléculaires. Comme l'ont montré ces dernières années le groupe NanoSpin, les nanotubes de carbone (CNTs) peuvent servir de support pour les aimants à une seule molécule, en combinant les caractéristiques des deux constituants.Une pierre angulaire de ce projet de thèse a donc été le développement d'une technique de fabrication fiable pour des dispositifs de CNTs de haute qualité, contrôlables par de multiples électrodes de grille locales afin de permettre le contrôle local des systèmes hybrides moléculaires. Un procédé basé sur la fabrication conventionnelle à un substrat a été développé à partir de zéro, pour lequel l'optimisation de la conception des échantillons, les techniques de lithographie et de dépôt ainsi que les choix de matériaux ont dû être soigneusement incorporés afin de respecter les restrictions imposées par les conditions de croissance. Nous avons d'abord réussi à produire des échantillons CNT propres, permettant de mettre en évidence une configuration à double boite quantique, tout en ajustant des caractéristiques de type p à n. Les segments créés de cette manière peuvent être contrôlés de manière stable sur toute la longueur du dispositif et devraient donc constituer une base appropriée pour l'étude de la physique moléculaire.La matière topologique non triviale constitue une plate-forme séduisante pour étudier à la fois les principes fondamentaux et les applications possibles de la spintronique au calcul quantique. Les isolants cristallins topologiques, avec tellurure d'étain (SnTe) comme exemple principal, représentent un nouvel état au sein de ce zoo des matériaux topologiques 3D. Peu de temps après les premières réalisations expérimentales, des suggestions ont été faites sur la possibilité d’un type de supraconductivité non conventionnelle hébergé à l'interface entre la matière topologique et les supraconducteurs classiques. Les implications possibles de ces systèmes comprennent l'appariement de Cooper avec une quantité de mouvement finie dans la phase FFLO ou l’ordinateur quantique topologique, basé sur des excitations particulières, appelé quasi-particule Majorana.Ce projet de thèse visait à participer à l'enquête sur les signes de supraconductivité non conventionnelle dans SnTe. Les expériences de transport sur des couches pures dans les géométries de la barre de Hall et des dispositifs hybrides supraconducteurs, réalisés à la fois comme jonctions Josephson et SQUID, sont discutés. Un couplage étonnamment fort de SnTe au supraconducteur a été trouvé et dépendances de la supraconductivité sur les géométries des échantillons, la température et le champ magnétique ont été étudiées. La relation courant-phase a été analysée dans la limite d’effets cinétiques forts. Le couplage électrostatique et l'exposition à des micro-ondes ont été explorée, mais la physique prédominante dans de telles configurations s'est avéré être de type purement conventionnel, soulignant l’importance des améliorations sur le côté matériaux.Des mesures de champ magnétique dans le plan ont donné lieu à la signature d’un φ0-SQUID avec des transitions 0-π accordables, fournissant des preuves de possibles de transitions contrôlées de la supraconductivité triviale aux régimes de couplage non conventionnels dans SnTe. / Molecular electronics is one of the most intriguing fields of modern research, which could bring forth a modular and scalable building system for nanoscale spintronics applications. A particularly promising example are single-molecule magnets, which have already successfully shown to be suitable for spin valve or spin qubit operations. One of the biggest challenges of the field is the integration of these nanometer-sized objects in complex circuits in order to allow for detection and manipulation of moleculear spin states. As shown in recent years by the NanoSpin group, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can serve as such type of carrier for the single-molecule magnets, combining features of both constituents.A corner stone of this thesis project was hence the development of a dependable fabrication technique for high-quality CNT devices, controllable by multiple local gate electrodes in order to enable local control of molecular hybrid systems. A process based on conventional one-chip fabrication was developed from scratch, for which optimization of sample design, lithography and deposition techniques as well as material choices had to be carefully incorporated, in order to accomodate the restrictions imposed by the CNT growth conditions on the prevention of leakage currents. We succeeded in producing clean CNT devices, which could support a double dot configuration, tunable from p- to n-type characteristics. The segments created in this way can be stabily controlled over the entire device length and should hence provide a suitable backbone to study molecular physics.Topological matter constitutes an enticing platform to investigate both fundamental principles as well as possible applications from spintronics to quantum computation. Topological crystalline insulators, with tin telluride ( SnTe ) as a prime example, represent a new state of matter within this zoo of 3D topological materials. Soon after first experimental realizations, suggestions were made about the possibility of an unconventional type of superconductivity hosted at the interface between topological matter and conventional superconductors. Possible implications of such systems include Cooper pairing with finite momentum, the FFLO phase, or topological quantum computing, based on peculiar excitations, called Majorana bound states.This thesis project aimed to participate in the investigation of signs of unconventional superconductivity in SnTe . Transport experiments on bare films in Hall bar geometries and superconducting hybrid devices, realized as both Josephson junctions and SQUIDs, are discussed. A surprisingly strong coupling of SnTe to Ta superconductor was found and dependencies of superconductivity on sample geometries, temperature and magnetic field were investigated. The current-phase relation was analyzed in the limit of strong kinetic effects. Electrostatic gating and rf exposure was explored, but predominant physics in such configurations turned out to be of purely conventional type, pointing out the importance of improvements on the material side.In-plane magnetic field measurements gave rise to the manifestation of ϕ0-SQUIDs with tunable 0−π-transitions, providing evidence for possible controlled transitions from trivial superconductivity to unconventional coupling regimes in SnTe.

Les propriétés optoélectroniques de jonctions moléculaires sont étudiées par microscopie à effet tunnel (STM). Premièrement, les structures moléculaires sont synthétisées sur une surface Au(111). Puis, par manipulation, nous soulevons et suspendons une molécule entre la pointe du STM et la surface d’or pour obtenir une jonction moléculaire. En appliquant une tension entre la pointe et l'échantillon, un courant est généré, ce qui conduit à l'excitation de la molécule. Ce processus est médié par des modes de plasmons de surface localisé de la pointe. Finalement, la molécule se désexcite de manière radiative et génère un signal de fluorescence. On utilise cette technique pour étudier deux systèmes moléculaires. Dans le premier, un émetteur (porphyrin) est suspendu dans la jonction grâce à des fils organiques (oligothiophène). Ce type de jonction génère une émission de lumière étroite dont la couleur est contrôlée en sélectionnant la structure chimique de l'émetteur. Le contrôle de la largeur du pic d’émission est obtenu en détachant progressivement l'unité émettrice de la surface. On observe aussi des pics vibroniques décalés vers le rouge qui fournissent une empreinte chimique de l’émetteur, et des pics décalés vers le bleu, signe d’une deséxcitation d’un exciton non-thermalisé. Le deuxième type de jonction est composé de nano-rubans de graphène (GNRs) dont la largeur et la structure de l’arrête sont définis avec une précision atomique. Une fois suspendu dans la jonction, les GNRs qui présentent une terminaison spécifique (terminaison C) montrent un spectre d’émission de lumière avec un pic principal et deux pics vibroniques décalés vers le rouge. Le pic principale est associé à une transition intra-ruban entre un état Tamm localisé et un état delocalisé. / This thesis presents a study of the optoelectronic properties of molecular junctions performed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). First, the molecular structures are synthesized on a Au(111) surface. Then, by manipulation we lift and suspend a molecule between the tip of the STM and the gold surface, creating a single molecule junction. By applying a voltage bias between the tip and the sample, a current is generated, which leads to the excitation of the molecule. This process is mediated by the localized surface plasmon modes of the tip. Eventually, the molecule de-excites in a radiative way, generating a fluorescence signal. We use this technique to study two different molecular junctions. First, an emitting unit (fused-porphyrin) is suspended in the junction by means of organic linkers (oligothiophene). This type of junction generates a narrow-line emission of light whose color is controlled by selecting the chemical structure of the emitting unit. Moreover, control over the linewidth is obtained by progressively detaching the emitting unit from the surface. Also, we observe red-shifted vibronic features that provide a chemical fingerprint of the emitter, and blue- shifted vibronic features that are a sign of hot-luminescence. For the second type of junctions we use graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of atomically precise width and edge structure. When lifted in the junction, GNRs with a specific type of termination (C-terminated) exhibit a light emission spectrum with a main peak and two red-shifted vibrational features. The main peak is associated to an intra-ribbon transition between a localized state (Tamm) and a delocalized state.

Le sujet principal de cette thèse est l'étude de métallocènes déposés sur une surface de cuivre. Leurs adsorptions et propriétés électroniques sont expérimentalement étudiées par microscopie à effet tunnel (STM) et spectroscopie par effet tunnel (STS). Nos résultats ont été validés par des calculs se basant sur la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT). Plus précisément, nous avons étudié la façon dont le ferrocène FeC10H10 et le nickelocène NiC10H10s'adsorbent sur le cuivre. Nous avons découvert que ces métallocènes forment spontanément des réseaux alternant molécules horizontales et verticales. Nous avons ensuite modifié la structure du ferrocène par l'ajout d'un atome de cobalt et caractérisé les propriétés magnétiques de la nouvelle molécule ainsi créée, notamment l'apparition d'un effet Kondo témoignant de l'apparition de propriétés magnétiques au sein de la molécule. L'étude spectroscopique du nickelocène a révélé une excitation de la molécule à basse énergie.Cette excitation se traduit par une réorientation du moment de spin de la molécule, passant d'une orientation perpendiculaire à l'axe principal de la molécule à une orientation parallèle à cet axe.Nous avons finalement transféré un nickelocène sur la pointe STM et utilisé cette pointe moléculaire pour sonder les états d'une seconde molécule. Nous avons alors obtenu une double excitation de spin dans notre jonction tunnel, avec une augmentation significative de la conductance due aux excitations. / The main subject of this PhD thesis is the study of metallocenes deposited on copper surfaces. Their adsorptions and electronic properties are experimentally studied by scanning tunnelling microscopy(STM) and scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS). Our results were confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) computations. More precisely, we studied how ferrocene FeC10H10 and nickelocene NiC10H10 are adsorbed on copper. We found that these metallocenes spontaneously create networks alternating horizontal and vertical molecules. We added a cobalt atom to the ferrocene in order to modify its structure and we characterized the magnetic properties of the new molecule we created, in particular the appearance of a Kondo effect showing that magnetic properties appeared in the molecule. The spectroscopic study of nickelocene revealed an excitation of the molecule at low bias. This excitation consist in a change in the spin orientation of the molecule, going from an orientation perpendicular to the main molecule axis to an orientation parallel to this axis. We finally transferred a nickelocene to the STM tip and used this molecular tip to probe the states of a second molecule. We consequently obtained a double spin excitation in our tunnel junction, with a significant increase of the conductance due to excitations.