Writing Nanowires with Large Conductivity Ratios in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 Interfaces

Using a charged AFM tip allows nanometer-wide conducting lines to be written into otherwise insulating LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interfaces. Based on studies and modifications of this process, this report describes the writing and erasing of such nanowires with conductivity changes by factors of more than 10 7 , which far exceeds previously reported values. The lines are found to have lifetimes of several days.