Microscopic Theory of Resistive Switching in Ordered Insulators: Electronic vs. Thermal Mechanism

TL;DR

This paper presents a microscopic theory explaining resistive switching in ordered insulators driven out of equilibrium, highlighting electronic Landau-Zener tunneling as the key mechanism and analyzing the interplay of thermal and electronic effects.

Contribution

It introduces a microscopic model that captures the hysteretic I-V behavior and filament formation in resistive switching, emphasizing the role of nonequilibrium electronic processes.

Findings

Landau-Zener tunneling drives resistive switching.

Hot-electron temperature aligns with phase transition temperature.

Filament growth relates to negative differential resistance.

Abstract

We investigate the dramatic switch of resistance in ordered correlated insulators, when driven out of equilibrium by a strong voltage bias. Microscopic calculations on a driven-dissipative lattice of interacting electrons explain the main experimental features of resistive switching (RS), such as the hysteretic $I$-$V$ curves and the formation of hot conductive filaments. The energy-resolved electron distribution at the RS reveals the underlying nonequilibrium electronic mechanism, namely Landau-Zener tunneling, and also justifies a thermal description where the hot-electron temperature, estimated from the first moment of the distribution, matches the equilibrium phase transition temperature. We discuss the tangled relationship between filament growth and negative differential resistance, and the influence of crystallographic structure and disorder in the RS.