title: Breakdown of atomic-sized metallic contacts measured on nanosecond scale.
abstract: We report on a study of atomic-sized metallic contacts on a time scale of nanoseconds using a combined DC and AC circuit. The approach leads to a time resolution 3-4 orders of magnitude faster than the measurements carried out to date, making it possible to observe fast transient conductance-switching events associated with the breakdown, re-formation, and atomic scale structural rearrangements of the contact. The study bridges the wide gap in the time scales between the molecular dynamic simulations and real world experiments, and the method may be applied to study nano- and subnanosecond processes in other nanoscale devices, such as molecular junctions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States.
authors.forename: Shaoyin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hihath
authors.forename: Nongjian
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tao
mesh_terms: D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D036103:Nanotechnology; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D008670:Metals