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Atomic dimer shuttling and two-level conductance fluctuations in Nb nanowires
Alexei Marchenkov1, Zhenting Dai, Chun Zhang
1School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|March 16, 2007
Summary
Researchers observed random telegraph noise in niobium nanowires, revealing a bistability region during elongation. This phenomenon is linked to a niobium dimer forming and shuttling between high and low conductance states.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Superconducting transition temperature
- Niobium nanowires
- Conductance measurements
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate high-resolution conductance in niobium nanowires
- Explain observed bistability and random telegraph noise
Main Methods:
- High-resolution conductance measurements
- Elongation of niobium nanowires
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations
- Structural optimizations
- Conductance calculations
Main Results:
- Observed bistability region manifesting as random telegraph noise during nanowire elongation
- Reproduced and explained measurements using DFT
- Identified niobium dimer formation in the gap as the cause of bistability
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the mechanism behind conductance bistability in niobium nanowires
- Niobium dimer dynamics (symmetric high-conductance and asymmetric low-conductance states) explain the observed random telegraph noise
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