# Influence of thermal boundary conditions on the current-driven resistive transition in $\mathbf{VO_2}$ microbridges

## TL;DR

This study explores how thermal boundary conditions affect the current-driven resistive transition in VO2 microbridges, revealing unpredictable switching behavior influenced by thermal dissipation, with implications for device stability.

## Contribution

It introduces an analysis of thermal effects on VO2 resistive switching and proposes a simple electro-thermal model to understand the phenomena.

## Key findings

- Sharp resistance drops are randomly influenced by thermal dissipation.
- Metallic phase propagation is unpredictable and shape-dependent.
- Thermal boundary conditions significantly impact switching behavior.

## Abstract

We investigate the resistive switching behaviour of $\mathrm{VO_2}$ microbridges under current bias as a function of temperature and thermal coupling with the heat bath. Upon increasing the electrical current bias, the formation of the metallic phase can progress smoothly or through sharp jumps. The magnitude and threshold current values of these sharp resistance drops show random behaviour and are dramatically influenced by thermal dissipation conditions. Our results also evidence how the propagation of the metallic phase induced by electrical current in $\mathrm{VO_2}$, and thus the shape of the resulting high-conductivity path, are not predictable. We discuss the origin of the switching events through a simple electro-thermal model based on the domain structure of $\mathrm{VO_2}$ films that can be useful to improve the stability and controllability of future $\mathrm{VO_2}$-based devices.