In-Situ Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy of Bistable Molecular Junction Devices

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) is a valuable in-situ spectroscopic analysis technique that can be applied in conjunction with electrical transport measurements to characterize and identify the molecular species under study by measuring its vibrational fingerprint. IETS is used to probe the vibrational modes excited in oligoaniline molecular junctions after switching between high and low conductance states by applying a critical threshold voltage. These spectroscopic measurements allow us to distinguish between the two molecular conformations that give rise to the observed conductance change and clarify the mechanism responsible for switching.