Gigantic photoresponse in 1/4-filled-band organic salt (EDO-TTF)2PF6

We report that the organic salt (EDO-TTF)2PF6 with 3/4-filled-band (1/4-filled in terms of holes), which forms an organic metal with strong electron and lattice correlation, shows a highly sensitive response to photoexcitation. An ultrafast, photoinduced phase transition from the insulator phase to the metal phase can be induced with very weak excitation intensity at near room temperature. This response makes the material attractive for applications in switching devices with room-temperature operation. The observed photo-induced spectroscopic change shows that this photoinduced phase transition process is caused by the cooperative melting of charge ordering assisted by coherent phonon generation.