Abstract
Current-voltage characteristics of molecular junctions exhibit intriguing steps around a characteristic voltage of . Surprisingly, we find that a hysteresis is connected to these steps with a typical time scale . This time constant scales linearly with the power dissipated in the junction beyond an off-set power . We propose that the hysteresis is related to vibrational heating of both the molecule in the junction and a set of surrounding hydrogen molecules. Remarkably, by stretching the junction the hysteresis’ characteristic time becomes . We demonstrate that reliable switchable devices can be built from such junctions.
- Received 8 June 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.80.081407
©2009 American Physical Society