ABSTRACT
Molecular electronics aims at using tailor-built molecules as active
device elements to achieve the desired electronic functional-
ity. Molecular-based electronic switches appear to be the most
promising candidates for compact memory arrays with low power
consumption. In the past decade, detailed investigations have been
performed on a great variety of molecular switches, including
mechanically interlocked switches, conformational switches, and
redox-active molecules. In this chapter, we will review basic
switching mechanisms in molecular switches: thermal fluctuations,
current-induced excitations, and quantum tunneling. We will
demonstrate how the quantitative information allowing to judge
between those different switching mechanisms can be extracted
from the data measured on single-molecule devices. We will also
discuss how the intrinsic switching properties may be affected
when the molecule is bridged to electrodes, and how to distinguish
whether the switching happens in molecular kernel or at the
molecule-to-electrode interface.
