,Atomic switches of metallic point contacts by plasmonic heating

• 作 者: Weiqiang Zhang Hongshuang Liu Jinsheng Lu Lifa Ni Haitao Liu Qiang Li Min Qiu Bingqian Xu Takhee Lee Zhikai Zhao Xianghui Wang Maoning Wang Tao Wang Andreas Offenh(a)usser Dirk Mayer Wang-Taek Hwang D
• 机 构: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Sensor and Sensing Network Technology, Key Laboratory of Op
• 出 处: 光：科学与应用（英文版）
• 发表日期: 2019年3期

Electronic switches with nanoscale dimensions satisfy an urgent demand for further device miniaturization.A recent heavily investigated approach for nanoswitches is the use of molecular junctions that employ photochromic molecules that toggle between two distinct isoforms.In contrast to the reports on this approach,we demonstrate that the conductance switch behavior can be realized with only a bare metallic contact without any molecules under light illumination.We demonstrate that the conductance of bare metallic quantum contacts can be reversibly switched over eight orders of magnitude,which substantially exceeds the performance of molecular switches.After the switch process,the gap size between two electrodes can be precisely adjusted with subangstrom accuracy by controlling the light intensity or polarization.Supported by simulations,we reveal a more general and straightforward mechanism for nanoswitching behavior,i.e.,atomic switches can be realized by the expansion of nanoelectrodes due to plasmonic heating.