Effects of the length of linkers in metal-azobenzene-metal junction on transmission and ON/OFF ratio

Photoisomerizing molecules which can transform their structure by the light irradiation have great deal for the application of photo-switching devices. And azobenzene is the representive type of the photoisomerizing molecules. It can transform their trans- structures into cis- structure as the light for certain wave lengths they receive. This property shows the potential of ON/OFF switching functionalization which can be used into the nano scale photo switch. Furthermore, many studies are interested in the organic linkers that connect the azobenzene and metal electrodes. We used S, $CH_2S$, $(CH_2)_4S$ as the linker to watch the influence of linkers for electronic properties. So We suggest a photoswitching device based on the vertical junction using the first-principles calculations with density functional theory and non-equilibrium Greens function (NEGF). By analyzing the electronic structure and tunneling current caused by the structural difference of the system between cis- and trans- azobenzene, the difference in switching mechanism, ON/OFF ratio and transmission will be watched as the linker changes. And finally We will suggest which linker would be the better for the optimal device architecture which can achieve high control of the ON/OFF photocurrent ratio. This result will show the potential of azobenzene-based photoswitch and provide the critical insight in constructing the optimal device architecture.