Scientists discuss latest developments in molecular electronics at DFG project meeting on campus

From June 25 till June 27, 2007, Jacobs University hosts the mid-term meeting of the research project “Quantum Transport at the Molecular Scale” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Over 65 scientist from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden, among them Ulrich Kleinekathöfer, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Jacobs University, will discuss their latest findings in molecular dynamics and the research project’s perspectives.

[ Jun 20, 2007]  The DFG funded priority program (DFG-Schwerpunktprogramm) is initially scheduled for two years and can be prolonged to a maximum six years. The general goal of the program is to advance the fundamental research activity in the field of molecular electronics by combining different theoretical approaches, experimental techniques and to develop a full physical picture of molecular-scale charge transport. Therefore scientists of numerous high ranking research institutions, among them Jacobs University, currently conduct 21 surveys locally with the molecular electronics focus, which are coordinated by the physicists Prof. Thomas Frauenheim (University Bremen), Prof. Klaus Richter (University Regensburg) and Prof. Heiko Weber (University Erlangen).

Molecular electronics is recognized as a key candidate to succeed the silicon based technology once its semiconductor potentials have been fully explored. The use of organic molecules in nanoscale nonlinear electronic circuits offers many opportunities for new types of devices, which will differ in fabrication, functionality, and architecture. But even the fundamental question how electrical current flows across a single molecule is not satisfactorily understood.

During the conference, the participants will focus on current topics like the transport techniques of molecules and laser driven molecular wires. With the exchange of information and experiences, Ulrich Kleinekathöfer and his colleagues strive for devising new concepts and designing a machinery that allows for a quantitative prediction of electronic transport properties of individual molecules contacted to electrodes/substrates of a given material.

The German Research Foundation (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) is the central, self-governing research funding organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. The DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers.