Atomic chain of carbon atoms: Smallest negative differential resistance device

Abstract

In the present work, we report giant negative differential resistance action in probably the simplest molecular nanoelectronic device comprising of carbon chain placed between two ferromagnetic electrodes named as graphitic carbon nitride (g-C4N3). The negative differential resistance action is spin polarized and only evident at spin down channel. Spin polarized quantum transport studies using Keldysh non-equilibrium Green's function based density functional theory reports very high negative differential resistance over the bias range of ±0.1 V to ±0.3 V. This symmetric negative differential resistancec feature has been explained by an analysis of transmission spectrum across the Fermi energy level and Molecular Projected Self-Consistent Hamiltonian states (MPSH) of the system. Role of in-phase and out of phase electron waves in ensuring negative differential resistance feature has been justified through transmission pathways of the system. The simplicity of the molecular system added with robust spin polarized negative differential action added with experimental relevance certainly establishes the uniqueness of the device in respect of modern spintronic research.