Controlled Switching of Bistable Nanophase Domains on a Silicon Surface

Switching the crystalline phase of a material via electrostatic control is a proven strategy for developing memory devices such as memristors that are based on nonvolatile resistance switching phenomena. However, phase switching in atomic-scale systems is often difficult to control and poorly understood. Here, we explore nonvolatile switching of long 2.3 nm wide bistable nanophase domains in a Sn double-layer structure grown on Si(111), using a scanning tunneling microscope. We identified two mechanisms for this phase switching phenomenon. First, the electrical field across the tunnel gap continuously tunes the relative stability of the two phases and favors one over the other depending on the tunneling polarity. The second mechanism involves carrier injection into empty Sn orbitals. The coupling between these relatively long-lived hot electrons and surface phonons induces a lattice instability at sufficiently large tunneling current and provides access to a hidden metastable state of matter. This hidden state is nonvolatile but can be erased by choosing the appropriate tunneling conditions or raising the temperature. Similar mechanisms could possibly be exploited in phase-change memristor and field effect devices.