Quantum Point Contact Switches
- 21 July 1995
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 269 (5222), 371-373
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.269.5222.371
Abstract
Switching behavior between electron tunneling and ballistic transport states was induced by repeatedly bringing a sharpened nickel wire into contact with a gold surface. The high-conductivity ballistic state had a quantized conductance of 0.977 ± 0.015 (2e2/h). Switching was accomplished by moving the electrodes with a piezoelectric actuator over a distance of 2 angstroms. The two electrodes and the actuator form a three-terminal device that is demonstrated to be a reliable digital and analog switch; it shows good discrimination between high and low states and possesses the important property of power gain. The conductance channel is most likely only one atom wide and possibly consists of a single atom.Keywords
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