Single-molecule phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle-based optoelectronic switch functioning as a quantum-interference-effect transistor

This work proposes a new type of optoelectronic switch, the phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle-based single-molecule transistor, which utilizes photon-assisted tunneling and destructive quantum interference. The analysis uses single-particle Green's functions along with Floquet theory. Without the optical field, phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle exhibits a wide range of strong antiresonance between its frontier orbitals. The simulations show large on-off ratios (over 104) and measurable currents (∼10 ^-11A) enabled by photon-assisted tunneling in a weak optical field (∼2×105V/cm) and at a small source-drain voltage (∼0.05V). Field amplitude power scaling laws and a range of field intensities are given for operating one- and two-photon assisted tunneling in phenyl-acetylene-macrocycle-based single-molecule transistors. This development opens up a new direction for creating molecular switches.