Facile, on-demand electronic nanodevice fabrication from photo- and electro-active silver oxide

Formed from pure, single-component silver oxide films, nanoscale heterojunctions are electrically written through electromigration. Instantly formed through applying dc current, the nanogap junctions have different oxygen contents at either electrode. This direct writing of junction asymmetry yields diode behavior with a forward to reverse bias current ratio of 71. Two different, electrically written diode logic gates were implemented based on these in situ formed heterojunctions. Together with the photoreduction of silver oxides to silver nanoclusters, this easy fabrication method of writing nanoscale wires and heterojunctions may provide useful instant device fabrication schemes utilizing only light and electricity. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.