Abstract
The poor performance of molecular transistors is a major bottleneck for developing ultra-miniaturized integrated circuits. To date, the absence of a design-led strategy to systematically enhance the performance of fundamental molecular circuit components, coupled with sub-optimal device fabrication yields, has posed significant barriers to the widespread adoption and practical implementation of nanoelectronics. In this study, we report high-performance molecular transistors with a vertical configuration that employs self-assembled monolayers as the channel material and a top graphene electrode that allows external electro-gating. Leveraging on distinct hopping and tunneling charge transport mechanisms to mediate the ON and OFF transistor states, we achieve robust device performance at working CPU temperatures up to 350 K, with ON/OFF ratios exceeding 104. Produced in yields >90%, these molecular transistors perform logic operations, support wafer-scale integration and provide a versatile platform for advancing the understanding of the mechanisms governing molecular charge transport.
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Acknowledgements
Y.L. acknowledges the Center of Nanofabrication, Tsinghua University, and the Tsinghua–Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center for assistance with device fabrication. The authors thank Jianxia Duan and Wenqing Yao at the National Center of Electron Spectroscopy in Beijing (NCESBJ) for support with XPS measurements. P.-A.C. and D.T. acknowledge the provision of computational resources from the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC). Y.L. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 22273045, 52488101] and the Tsinghua University “Dushi” program. E.d.B. acknowledges support from the US National Science Foundation [grant number ECCS-2437811]. P.-A.C. and D.T. disclose support for the research of this work from Research Ireland [grant number 12/RC/2275_P2 (SSPC)].
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Xie, Y., Cao, Z., Zhou, Z. et al. High-performance microelectronic-integratable molecular transistors. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72473-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72473-x
