Single-Molecule Phenyl-Acetylene-Macrocycle-Based Optoelectronic Switch Functioning as a Quantum-Interference-Effect Transistor

Abstract

This work proposes a new type of optoelectronic switch, the phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle-based single-molecule transistor, which utilizes photon-assisted tunneling and destructive quantum interference. The analysis uses single-particle Green’s functions along with Floquet theory. Without the optical field, phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle exhibits a wide range of strong antiresonance between its frontier orbitals. The simulations show large on-off ratios (over 10(4)) and measurable currents (similar to 10(-11) A) enabled by photon-assisted tunneling in a weak optical field (similar to 2 x 10(5) V/cm) and at a small source-drain voltage (similar to 0.05 V). Field amplitude power scaling laws and a range of field intensities are given for operating one- and two-photon assisted tunneling in phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle-based single-molecule transistors. This development opens up a new direction for creating molecular switches.