The electronic properties of molecular junctions of the general type
carbon/molecule/TiO.sub.2/Au as examples of "molecular heterojunctions"
consisting of a molecular monolayer and a semiconducting oxide. Junctions
containing fluorene bonded to pyrolyzed photoresist film (PPF) were
compared to those containing Al.sub.2O.sub.3 instead of fluorene, and
those with only the TiO.sub.2 layer. The responses to voltage sweep and
pulse stimulation were strongly dependent on junction composition and
temperature. A transient current response lasting a few milliseconds
results from injection and trapping of electrons in the TiO.sub.2 layer,
and occurred in all three junction types studied. Conduction in
PPF/TiO.sub.2/Au junctions is consistent with space charge limited
conduction at low voltage, then a sharp increase in current once the
space charge fills all the traps. With fluorene present, there is a
slower, persistent change in junction conductance which may be removed by
a reverse polarity pulse. This "memory" effect is attributed to a redox
process in the TiO.sub.2 which generates Ti.sup.III and/or Ti.sup.II,
which have much higher conductance than TiO.sub.2 due to the presence of
conduction band electrons. The redox process amounts to "dynamic doping"
of the TiO.sub.2 layer by imposed electric field. The memory effect
arises from a combination of the properties of the molecular and oxide
layers, and is a special property of the molecular heterojunction
configuration.