In recent years, resistive random access memories have received extensive interest for applications as non-volatile memories or neuromorphic computing. Conductive Bridging Random Access Memories (CBRAM) based on a glassy Ag-GeSx layer sandwiched between an Ag anode and an inert W cathode are considered to be one of the most promising technologies. Under the influence of an electric field Ag ions are produced at the anode and migrate in the electrolyte reaching the cathode and forming a conducting wire. This process is reversible by applying a bias with opposite polarity. However, the lack of understanding of the switching mechanisms at a nanoscale level prevents the successful transfer of this technology to the industry. CBRAM devices were characterized in their different resistive states using depth-selective X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) at the GILDA-CRG beamline at the ESRF in Grenoble.
Using electric fields for magnetic writing is a very appealing opportunity, however, bulk multiferroic materials at room temperature have not been yet found. Instead, interfacial magnetoelectric coupling could be a viable path to achieve electrical writing of magnetic information in spintronic devices.
Here, we report on a room temperature ON-OFF electrical switching of the interfacial magnetization at the Fe/BaTiO3 interface.
Persistent and stable organic molecules with an open-shell electronic configuration have long been known and extensively studied mainly in solution. Only recent is instead the study of organic radicals as laterally self-assembled monolayers immobilized on substrates towards their application in devices, e.g. in organic spintronics [1].
The (111) face of gold, for its inertness and stability, is the most popular substrate adopted to support the growth of 2D supramolecular architectures. Despite being inert (“noble”) in its bulk form, gold exhibits rich catalytic properties and ligand chemistry when in the form of small clusters composed by tens of atoms down to single atom. In this work, we show that a simple polar molecule, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, (CH3)2S), can trap the natively single gold adatoms available on the Au(111) surface, thus providing a new insight into the interaction of DMSO (and solvents in general) with gold and suggesting a novel motif for anchoring organic adlayers of polar molecules on metal substrates.