Abstract
Resistive switching can be achieved in a Mott insulator by applying current/voltage, which triggers an insulator-metal transition (IMT). This phenomenon is key for understanding IMT physics and developing novel memory elements and brain-inspired technology. Despite this, the roles of electric field and Joule heating in the switching process remain controversial. Using nanowires of two archetypal Mott insulators—VO2 and V2O3 we unequivocally show that a purely non-thermal electrical IMT can occur in both materials. The mechanism behind this effect is identified as field-assisted carrier generation leading to a doping driven IMT. This effect can be controlled by similar means in both VO2 and V2O3, suggesting that the proposed mechanism is generally applicable to Mott insulators. The energy consumption associated with the non-thermal IMT is extremely low, rivaling that of state-of-the-art electronics and biological neurons. These findings pave the way towards highly energy-efficient applications of Mott insulators.
Highlights
Resistive switching can be achieved in a Mott insulator by applying current/voltage, which triggers an insulator-metal transition (IMT)
That the electric field applied in this process may induce the IMT non-thermally, without heating the material to its IMT temperature (TIMT)[21,22,23,24,25,26,27]
We study the electrically triggered IMT in quasi1D nanowires of two archetypal Mott insulators exhibiting an IMT: VO2 and V2O3
Summary
Resistive switching can be achieved in a Mott insulator by applying current/voltage, which triggers an insulator-metal transition (IMT). Using nanowires of two archetypal Mott insulators—VO2 and V2O3 we unequivocally show that a purely non-thermal electrical IMT can occur in both materials The mechanism behind this effect is identified as field-assisted carrier generation leading to a doping driven IMT. In quasi-2D VOx thin films, the current flow is filamentary which can dramatically alter the local temperature distribution[19,37] This hinders the determination of the mechanism behind the electrically triggered IMT, since it is unclear whether the transition occurs because the IMT temperature is locally attained under an applied field. By avoiding heat dissipation and its associated dynamics, the energy consumption and operation timescales of IMT-based devices may be greatly reduced
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