Papers

Sep, 2005

An organic thyristor

NATURE
  • F Sawano
  • ,
  • Terasaki, I
  • ,
  • H Mori
  • ,
  • T Mori
  • ,
  • M Watanabe
  • ,
  • N Ikeda
  • ,
  • Y Nogami
  • ,
  • Y Noda

Volume
437
Number
7058
First page
522
Last page
524
Language
English
Publishing type
Research paper (scientific journal)
DOI
10.1038/nature04087
Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

Thyristors are a class of nonlinear electronic device that exhibit bistable resistance - that is, they can be switched between two different conductance states(1). Thyristors are widely used as inverters ( direct to alternating current converters) and for the smooth control of power in a variety of applications such as motors and refrigerators. Materials and structures that exhibit nonlinear resistance of this sort are not only useful for practical applications: they also provide systems for exploring fundamental aspects of solid- state and statistical physics. Here we report the discovery of a giant nonlinear resistance effect in the conducting organic salt(2) theta- ( BEDT- TTF) 2CsCo( SCN)(4), the voltage- current characteristics of which are essentially the same as those of a conventional thyristor. This intrinsic organic thyristor works as an inverter, generating an alternating current when a static direct- current voltage is applied. Whereas conventional thyristors consist of a series of diodes ( their nonlinearity comes from interface effects at the p- n junctions), the present salt exhibits giant nonlinear resistance as a bulk phenomenon. We attribute the origin of this effect to the current-induced melting of insulating charge- order domains, an intrinsically non- equilibrium phenomenon in the sense that ordered domains are melted by a steady flow.

Link information
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04087
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000232004800043&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID information
  • DOI : 10.1038/nature04087
  • ISSN : 0028-0836
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000232004800043

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