Figure 2
(a) Schematic diagram of the switching of a nanogap between the high-resistance state (HRS) and the low-resistance sate (LRS). During the transition from the HRS to the LRS, a current-emissive needle tip is formed in the electric field. During the transition from the LRS to the HRS, this needle tip is disassembled, and the element migrates back onto the electrode under the high-density current flow in the nanogap. To eliminate accidental large currents, which could cause a fatal deformation of the nanogap, the system’s current compliance of 1 μA suppressed excess current during the cyclic repetition of this switching phenomenon in this study. (b) Voltage operation sequence for the setting of the HRS and LRS for the reading of the nanogap resistance at desired intervals. (c) Typical current transitions from the LRS to the HRS and from the HRS to the LRS at 303 K. (d) Typical NGS between the HRS and LRS, measured 100 times. (e) Long-term stability of the HRS and LRS at 303 K. Because of the stable structure serving as the foundation of the switching scheme and the non-destructive measurement enabled by the 0.6-V bias voltage, stable and distinct resistance values were maintained in both states, with fluctuations of 10% or less.
