arXiv subjects

Carlos Sabater

Publications and source records attributed to Carlos Sabater.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Wavelength-Selective control of Atomic Scale Au Contacts

We demonstrate wavelength-selective control of atomic motion in a mechanically controllable Au break junction. Excitation at $\lambda_{\mathrm{form}}\simeq 530~{\rm nm}$ drives gap closure and metallic bridge formation, whereas excitation at $\lambda_{\mathrm{rup}}\simeq 407~{\rm nm}$ drives neck thinning, bridge rupture, and subsequent gap opening. Unlike conventional optical switching in metallic contacts, where illumination primarily acts via thermal expansion, the present experiment reveals oppositely directed atomic drift at different wavelengths. Time-resolved conductance traces allow us to distinguish two dynamical regimes. In the tunneling regime, exponential conductance transients measure the drift velocity of the gap coordinate for both gap closure and gap opening. In the metallic regime, the Sharvin relation converts linear $\sqrt{G/G_0}$ transients into radial neck-growth and neck-thinning velocities of comparable magnitude. These results establish optically selected atomic drift as a mechanism for reversible control of metallic nanocontacts and provide a quantitative route to follow plasmon-assisted atomic rearrangements in real time.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Stretching helical molecular springs: the peculiar evolution of electron transport in helicene junctions

Single-molecule junctions represent electromechanical systems at the edge of device miniaturization. Despite extensive studies on the interplay between mechanical manipulation and electron transport in molecular junctions, a thorough understanding of conducting molecular springs remains elusive. Here, we investigate the impact of mechanical elongation and compression on the electron transport and electronic structure of helicene-based spring-like single-molecule junctions, utilizing 2,2'-dithiol-[6]helicene and thioacetyl-[13]helicene molecules bridging two gold electrodes. We observe robust, reversible U-shaped conductance variations with interelectrode distance. Ab-initio electronic structure and quantum transport calculations reveal that this behavior stems from destructive quantum interference, induced mainly by modifications of the coupling at the metal-molecule interface as a peculiar outcome of the helical backbone deformation. These findings highlight the central role of the helical geometry in combination with contact properties in the electromechanical response of conducting molecular springs, offering insights for designing functional electromechanical devices that leverage similar mechanisms.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Identifying Clean and Contaminated Atomic-Sized Gold Contacts under Ambient Conditions Using a Clustering Algorithm

Molecular electronics studies have advanced from early, simple single-molecule experiments at cryogenic temperatures to complex and multifunctional molecules under ambient conditions. However, room-temperature environments increase the risk of contamination, making it essential to identify and quantify clean and contaminated rupture traces (i.e., conductance versus relative electrode displacement) within large datasets. Given the high throughput of measurements, manual analysis becomes unfeasible. Clustering algorithms offer an effective solution by enabling automatic classification and quantification of contamination levels. Despite the rapid development of machine learning, its application in molecular electronics remains limited. In this work, we present a methodology based on the DBSCAN (Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) algorithm to extract representative traces from both clean and contaminated regimes, providing a scalable and objective tool to evaluate environmental contamination in molecular junction experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Conductance of atomic size contacts of Ag and Au at high magnetic fields

Electronic conduction at the atomic scale can be described by Landauer's formalism. In single atom point contacts of noble metals like Au and Ag, there is just one channel open between both electrodes and the conductance is very close to the quantum of conductance $G \approx G_0=\frac{2e^2}{h}$, with the factor of two coming from spin degeneracy. The magnetoconductivity of atomic size contacts has been studied for numerous systems, unveiling local Kondo screening, magnetic order and spin-polarized currents. However, these have been mostly performed in elements with multiple open conduction channels where $G$ differs from $G_0$. The realization of a magnetically active conductor with a single open channel remains difficult to achieve. Here we present measurements of the electronic conductance of single channel Au and Ag atomic-size contacts in magnetic fields up to 20 Tesla. We observe a decrease in $G$ which goes up to about 15% in many Au contacts at 20 T. We perform calculations and find that pure Ag and Au do not present a strong field dependence of $G$, in agreement with previous results at smaller magnetic fields. We also find, however, that residual O$_2$ molecules attached close to the contact produce an an induced spin-polarized current, which leads to a decrease in $G$. We discuss the role of the magnetic response of the electrodes in the jump to contact. Our results suggest that single channel atomic size conductors with a sizeable response to a magnetic field can be built by combining noble metals and magnetically active molecular systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Unveiling the Signature of Adsorbed Organic Solvents for Molecular Electronics through STM Approaches

After evaporation of the organic solvents, benzene, toluene, and cyclohexane on gold substrates, Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) shows the presence of a remaining adsorbed layer. The different solvent molecules were individually observed at ambient conditions, and their electronic transport properties characterized through the STM in the Break Junction approach. The combination of both techniques reveals, on one hand, that solvents are not fully evaporated over the gold electrode and, secondly, determines the role of the electronic transport of the solvents in molecular electronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Raman Signal Reveals the Rhombohedral Crystallographic Structure in Ultra-thin Layers of Bismuth Thermally Evaporated on Amorphous Substrate

Under the challenge of growing a single bilayer of Bi oriented in the (111) crystallographic direction over amorphous substrates, we have studied different thicknesses of Bi thermally evaporated onto silicon oxide in order to shed light on the dominant atomic structures and their oxidation. We have employed atomic force microscope, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope approaches to demonstrate that Bi is crystalline and oriented in the (111) direction for thicknesses over 20 nm. Surprisingly, Raman spectroscopy indicates that the rhombohedral structure is preserved even for ultra-thin layers of Bi, down to $\sim 5$ nm. Moreover, the signals also reveal that bismuth films exposed to ambient conditions do not suffer major surface oxidation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Fast and accurate shot noise measurements on atomic-size junctions in the MHz regime

Shot noise measurements on atomic and molecular junctions provide rich information about the quantum transport properties of the junctions and on the inelastic scattering events taking place in the process. Dissipation at the nanoscale, a problem of central interest in nano-electronics, can be studied in its most explicit and simplified form. Here, we describe a measurement technique that permits extending previous noise measurements to a much higher frequency range, and to much higher bias voltage range, while maintaining a high accuracy in noise and conductance. We also demonstrate the advantages of having access to the spectral information for diagnostics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗