Electrically controlled nonvolatile switching of single-atom magnetism in a Dy@C84 single-molecule transistor
Feng Wang, Wangqiang Shen, Yuan Shui, Jun Chen, Huaiqiang Wang, Rui Wang, Yuyuan Qin, Xuefeng Wang, Jianguo Wan, Minhao Zhang, Xing Lü, Tao Yang, Fengqi Song
Abstract
Abstract Single-atom magnetism switching is a key technique towards the ultimate data storage density of computer hard disks and has been conceptually realized by leveraging the spin bistability of a magnetic atom under a scanning tunnelling microscope. However, it has rarely been applied to solid-state transistors, an advancement that would be highly desirable for enabling various applications. Here, we demonstrate realization of the electrically controlled Zeeman effect in Dy@C 84 single-molecule transistors, thus revealing a transition in the magnetic moment from 3.8 $${\mu }_{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>B</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> to 5.1 $${\mu }_{{{{{{\rm{B}}}}}}}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>μ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>B</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> </mml:math> for the ground-state G N at an electric field strength of 3 $$-$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> </mml:math> 10 MV/cm. The consequent magnetoresistance significantly increases from 600% to 1100% at the resonant tunneling point. Density functional theory calculations further corroborate our realization of nonvolatile switching of single-atom magnetism, and the switching stability emanates from an energy barrier of 92 meV for atomic relaxation. These results highlight the potential of using endohedral metallofullerenes for high-temperature, high-stability, high-speed, and compact single-atom magnetic data storage.