Javier del Valle1,Rodolfo Rocco2,Nicolas Vargas3,Claribel Dominguez1,Pavel Salev3,Yoav Kalcheim4,Coline Adda3,Jennifer Fowlie1,Minhan Lee3,Lorenzo Fratino2,Stefano Gariglio1,Marcelo Rozenberg2,Ivan Schuller3,Jean-Marc Triscone1
University of Geneva1,Université Paris-Sud2,University of California, San Diego3,Technion–Israel Institute of Technology4
Javier del Valle1,Rodolfo Rocco2,Nicolas Vargas3,Claribel Dominguez1,Pavel Salev3,Yoav Kalcheim4,Coline Adda3,Jennifer Fowlie1,Minhan Lee3,Lorenzo Fratino2,Stefano Gariglio1,Marcelo Rozenberg2,Ivan Schuller3,Jean-Marc Triscone1
University of Geneva1,Université Paris-Sud2,University of California, San Diego3,Technion–Israel Institute of Technology4
Certain correlated oxides feature an insulator-to-metal transition which can be triggered by applying an external voltage: the material becomes conducting if a threshold electric field is exceeded [1]. This phenomenon is known as voltage-driven IMT, and it has very promising applications in emerging technologies such as optoelectronics and neuromorphic computing. While it is known that this process takes place in a filamentary way, it is not yet known what sets the characteristic lengthscales, or the dynamic path through which these filaments nucleate, grow and relax. We combine reflectivity and transport measurements to image metallization with spatial and temporal resolution [2]. Five systems featuring an IMT from two different families are analyzed: VO2, V2O3, V3O5, NdNiO3 and SmNiO3 [3]. By comparing these systems and with further insight from numerical simulations, we identify the key parameters that govern the dynamics of the voltage-driven IMT, presenting a unified and simple interpretation of the transition dynamics.<br/><b>References: </b><br/>[1] J. del Valle <i>et al</i>. Nature <b>569</b>, 388 (2019).<br/>[2] J. del Valle <i>et al</i>. Science <b>373</b>, 907 (2021).<br/>[3] J. del Valle <i>et al</i>. Phys. Rev. B <b>104</b>, 165141 (2021).