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MIT News
Turning molecules into reliable electronic devices
Turning molecules into reliable electronic devices
A new fabrication platform integrates molecules into electronic devices, opening the door to emerging computing technologies.
Adam Zewe<br>MIT News
Publication Date:
August 3, 2026
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Abby
Abazorius
Email:<br>abbya@mit.edu
Phone:<br>617-253-2709
MIT News Office
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A false-color electron microscope image shows the devices. Using the new scalable fabrication technique, researchers fabricated more than 1,000 devices using sub-nanometer molecular layers.
Credits:
Image: Courtesy of the researchers
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A large-area optical microscope image of a chip. The robust devices also endured tens of thousands of electrical cycles without showing any sign of degradation.
Credits:
Image: Courtesy of the researchers
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The lead authors on the work, Sarah Spector and Peter Satterthwaite, probe a molecular device. “Nanoscale forces play a critical role in our approach,” Spector says.
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Image: Courtesy of the researchers
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Caption:
A false-color electron microscope image shows the devices. Using the new scalable fabrication technique, researchers fabricated more than 1,000 devices using sub-nanometer molecular layers.
Credits:
Image: Courtesy of the researchers
Caption:
A large-area optical microscope image of a chip. The robust devices also endured tens of thousands of electrical cycles without showing any sign of degradation.
Credits:
Image: Courtesy of the researchers
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Molecules are among the smallest building blocks available for making next-generation devices. Their unique, customizable properties enable promising applications in emerging computing, sensing, optical, and quantum technologies.<br>But integrating molecules into functional devices at scale remains a challenge. Traditional semiconductor manufacturing processes can damage small and fragile molecular materials. Now, MIT researchers have developed a scalable fabrication technique that incorporates delicate molecular materials into electronic devices on a chip without causing damage.<br>Their method extends the capabilities of standard semiconductor manufacturing processes to accommodate molecules. The researchers first prefabricate the device components using traditional processes. Then, they introduce the molecules and harness nanoscale surface forces to mechanically transform the fabricated device, which self-assembles without damaging the molecules.<br>The team demonstrated the robustness and scalability of their technique by fabricating more than 1,000 devices using sub-nanometer molecular layers.<br>“Our platform combines the scalability of conventional semiconductor manufacturing with the precision and control of self-assembly. This establishes a new fabrication framework for the scalable, high-throughput integration of emerging nanoscale and quantum materials, including molecules, into functional devices with architectures and capabilities that were previously infeasible,” says Farnaz Niroui, an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), a member of the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), and senior author of a new paper describing the work.<br>She is joined on the paper by co-lead authors Sarah Spector and Peter Satterthwaite, EECS graduate students; Jeremiah A. Johnson, the A. Thomas Guertin...