Coexistance of volatile and non-volatile memristive effects in phase-separated La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$-based devices

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that phase-separated LaCaMnO3 thin films exhibit both volatile and non-volatile memristive effects at different temperatures, mimicking neural and synaptic behaviors for neuromorphic computing applications.

Contribution

It reveals the coexistence of volatile and non-volatile memristive effects in LaCaMnO3, expanding the material options for neuromorphic device development.

Findings

Volatile resistive changes at 50 K due to self-heating.

Combined volatile and non-volatile effects at 140 K and 200 K.

Potential for neuromorphic hardware applications.

Abstract

In this work, we have investigated the coexistance of volatile and non-volatile memristive effects in epitaxial phase-separated La$_{\text{0.5}}$Ca$_{\text{0.5}}$MnO$_{3}$ thin films. At low temperatures (50 K), we observed volatile resistive changes arising from self-heating effects in the vicinity of a metal-to-insulator transition. At higher temperatures (140 K and 200 K) we measured a combination of volatile and non-volatile effects arising from the synergy between self-heating effects and ferromagnetic-metallic phase growth induced by an external electrical field. The results reported here add phase separated manganites to the list of materials which can electrically mimic, on the same device, the behavior of both neurons and synapses, a feature that might be useful for the development of neuromorphic computing hardware