Dynamic Control of the Thermal Resistance in (Pt/Cr)/SrTiO3 Devices

Achieving a dynamic control of the heat flow in crystalline solids is key due to the relentless miniaturization of electronic devices. In this regard, the possibility to modulate the local concentration of oxygen vacancies in transition-metal oxides, associated to the resistive switching effect, has emerged as a possibility of designing thermal switches. In this work, we demonstrate a reversible effect on the thermal boundary resistance across SrTiO3/Pt, Cr interfaces, associated to an electric field-driven accumulation/depletion of oxygen vacancies .<br/><br/>Using frequency domain thermoreflectance (FDTR) we measured a variation of 20% in the thermal boundary resistance of Pt/STO and Cr/STO devices, at room temperature. Relaxation experiments demonstrate the correlation between the thermal and electrical resistance states.<br/><br/>Our experiments demonstrate the possibility to modulate the oxygen vacancies at metal-oxide interfaces for thermal switching devices.