Room-temperature-concerted switch made of a binary atom cluster

Eiichi Inami, Ikutaro Hamada, Keiichi Ueda, Masayuki Abe, Seizo Morita, Yoshiaki Sugimoto
2015 Nature Communications  
Single-atom/molecule manipulation for fabricating an atomic-scale switching device is a promising technology for nanoelectronics. So far, scanning probe microscopy studies have demonstrated several atomic-scale switches, mostly in cryogenic environments. Although a high-performance switch at room temperature is essential for practical applications, this remains a challenging obstacle to overcome. Here we report a room-temperature switch composed of a binary atom cluster on the semiconductor
more » ... ace. Distinctly different types of manipulation techniques enable the construction of an atomically defined binary cluster and the electronic switching of the conformations, either unidirectionally or bidirectionally. The switching process involves a complex rearrangement of multiple atoms in concerted manner. Such a feature is strikingly different from any switches mediated by single-atom/molecule processes that have been previously reported.
doi:10.1038/ncomms7231 pmid:25656414 fatcat:e5gdroq2n5efllejq46to6rdx4