DC current induced metal-insulator transition in epitaxial Sm0.6Nd0.4NiO3/LaAlO3 thin film

Abstract

The metal-insulator transition (MIT) in strong correlated electron materials can be induced by external perturbation in forms of thermal, electrical, optical, or magnetic fields. We report on the DC current induced MIT in epitaxial Sm0.6Nd0.4NiO3 (SNNO) thin film deposited by pulsed laser deposition on (001)-LaAlO3 substrate. It was found that the MIT in SNNO film not only can be triggered by thermal, but also can be induced by DC current. The TMI of SNNO film decreases from 282 K to 200 K with the DC current density increasing from 0.003 × 109 A•m−2 to 4.9 × 109 A•m−2. Based on the resistivity curves measured at different temperatures, the MIT phase diagram has been successfully constructed.

Electrically induced insulator to metal transition in epitaxial SmNiO3 thin films

“…1 This along with competing interactions involving the lattice, orbital, spin, and charge degrees of freedom, which may be responsible for the IMT, make this material system the object of intense fundamental and applied research interest. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] The IMT in the RNiO 3 system usually consists of a transition from a low temperature insulating phase to a high temperature metallic phase with a bad-metal character. 12 The phase diagram of RNiO 3 compounds is controlled by the radius of the R 3þ atom, which in turn determines the tilting angle of (NiO 6 ) 3À octahedra.…”

Machines for Materials and Materials for Machines: Metal-Insulator Transitions and Artificial Intelligence

“…Volatile resistive switching, on the other hand, has been far less studied. It is observed in many materials that have an MIT such as VO 2 , V 2 O 3 , and NbO 2 [92] and the rare-earth nickelates NdNiO 3 [103], SmNiO 3 [104] and Sm 0.6 Nd 0.4 NiO 3 [105]. Upon the application of a voltage, the system is driven from the insulating into the metallic state, returning to its insulating phase when the voltage goes back to zero, mimicking the behaviour of neurons [106].…”