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Toggling bistable atoms via mechanical switching of bond angle
Adam Sweetman1, Sam Jarvis, Rosanna Danza
1The School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We reversibly switch the state of a bistable atom by direct mechanical manipulation of bond angle using a dynamic force microscope. Individual buckled dimers at the Si(100) surface are flipped via the formation of a single covalent bond, actuating the smallest conceivable in-plane toggle switch (two atoms) via chemical force alone. The response of a given dimer to a flip event depends critically on both the local and nonlocal environment of the target atom-an important consideration for future atomic scale fabrication strategies.
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