Work

Electric-Field Control of Zero-Dimensional Topological States in Ultranarrow Germanene Nanoribbons

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Reversible, all-electric control of symmetry-protected zero-dimensional modes has been a long-standing goal. In buckled honeycomb lattices, a perpendicular field couples to the staggered sublattice potential providing the required handle. We combine scanning tunneling microscopy and tight-binding theory to switch zero-dimensional topological end states reversibly on and off in ultranarrow germanene nanoribbons by tuning the electric field in the tunnel junction. Increasing the field switches off the end modes of topological two-hexagon-wide ribbons, while the same field switches on zero-dimensional states in initially trivial three- and four-hexagon-wide ribbons. This atomic scale platform realizes a proof of principle for a zero-dimensional topological field effect device, opening a path for ultrasmall memory, controllable qubits, and neuromorphic architectures.

Source: Physical Review Letters

DOI: 10.1103/jx2x-fb5b

Authors: Lumen Eek, Esra D. van ’t Westende, Dennis J. Klaassen, Harold J. W. Zandvliet, Pantelis Bampoulis, Cristiane Morais Smith

Institutions: Utrecht University, University of Twente

Language: English

Topic: Topological Materials and Phenomena

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, European Research Council

Awards: G1580863182, Dissipationless topological transistor based on germanium, G1925312432, G3818296207, Dissipationless transport in two dimensions: the electronic kagome lattice