IMF2017

Conventional switches, which control the on–off states of circuits in macroscale, can be seen everywhere in our daily life. The concept of switch is broadened in microelectronics with sharply reduced dimensions and advanced functionalities: the p–n junctions with the size of several hundred nanometers constitute the cornerstone of the information treatment and logic circuit, while molecular switches could exhibit the basic functions of digital electronics−rectification, amplification, and storage in molecular devices. Nevertheless, the further miniaturization is urgently required and intensely pursued in semiconductor industry, which calls for atomic even subatomic modulation of electrical behavior, especially with the emergent conductivity at atomic level. Here, an orbital switch formed at the interface between BaTiO₃ (BTO) and La_0.5Sr_0.5MnO₃ (LSMO) is used to manipulate the electric field effect in the LSMO/BTO heterostructure. The orbital switch is based on the connection or breakdown of interfacial Ti–O–Mn bond due to the ferroelectric displacement under external electric field. This fi nding would pave the way for the tuning of the material performance or device operation at atomic level and introducing the orbital degree of freedom into the terrain of microelectronics.