99% random telegraph signal-like noise in gold nanoparticle micro-stripes

In this paper, we report on a process to prepare gold nanoparticle stripes on SiO(2) by convective/capillary assembly without any patterning of the substrate. Electrical devices were then fabricated using stencil lithography in order to avoid any contamination. I(V) measurements at room temperature show that these stripes have an ohmic behavior between +/- 0.5 V with a resistivity ranging from one to two orders higher than the gold bulk value. Furthermore, I(V) and I(t) measurements reveal current fluctuations that were interpreted in terms of charging and discharging of nanoparticle islands leading to a very large electrostatic perturbation of current conduction paths. Unconventional relative amplitudes of up to 99% RTS fluctuations were observed.