Our goal is to enable fabrication of molecular devices. Rather than competing head-on with silicon, the supreme computing engine, we seek niche applications for functional molecular units in areas where silicon technology is weak. Silicon does not absorb or emit light efficiently, more importantly, silicon can not interact with molecules in a discriminating way, the way molecules can.

We believe that the enormous challenges facing molecules as devices can most likely be overcome if a hybrid silicon- organic molecule strategy is adopted. We explore device concepts, study molecular structure and adsorption dynamics and we probe the electrical transport properties of tailored organic-silicon interfaces. To approach these goals we develop and use tools to probe and manipulate matter at the nano-scale. Our studies primarily involve molecules on the surfaces of silicon. These ideas are developed a little further in some recent essays.

At NINT I head the research program called Molecular Scale Devices Group.

Nint staff scientists in group

Dr. Gino DiLabio, theoretical chemist

Dr. Jason Pitters, experimental scientist