Graphene Nanostrip Digital Memory Device

Abstract

In equilibrium, graphene nanostrips, with hydrogens sp2-bonded to carbons along their zigzag edges, are expected to exhibit a spin-polarized ground state. However, in the presence of a ballistic current, we find that there exists a voltage range over which both spin-polarized and spin-unpolarized nanostrip states are stable. These states can represent a bit in a binary memory device that could be switched through the applied bias and read by measuring the current through the nanostrip.