Narrow gaps are formed in suspended single to few layer graphene devices using a pulsed electrical breakdown technique. The conductance of the resulting devices can be programmed by the application of voltage pulses, with a voltage of 2.5V~4.5V corresponding to an ON pulse and voltages ~8V corresponding to OFF pulses. Electron microscope imaging of the devices shows that the graphene sheets typically remain suspended and that the device conductance tends to zero when the observed gap is large. The switching rate is strongly temperature dependent, which rules out a purely electromechanical switching mechanism. This observed switching in suspended graphene devices strongly suggests a switching mechanism via atomic movement and/or chemical rearrangement, and underscores the potential of all-carbon devices for integration with graphene electronics.
@article{arxiv.1205.0292,
title = {Visualizing Electrical Breakdown and ON/OFF States in Electrically Switchable Suspended Graphene Break Junctions},
author = {Hang Zhang and Wenzhong Bao and Zeng Zhao and Jhao-Wun Huang and Brian Standley and Gang Liu and Fenglin Wang and Philip Kratz and Lei Jing and Marc Bockrath and Chun Ning Lau},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1205.0292},
year = {2015}
}
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in situ SEM videos are available on Nano letters website