Multivalued memory effects in electronic phase-change manganites controlled by Joule heating

TL;DR

This paper investigates multivalued memory effects in manganite crystals driven by Joule heating, revealing thermal control of colossal electroresistance and phase transitions analogous to atomic crystal-amorphous changes.

Contribution

It demonstrates how Joule heating can induce multilevel memory states in manganites, linking thermal effects to electronic phase transitions.

Findings

Joule heating controls colossal electroresistance effects.

Thermal cycling induces switching between electronic states.

Memory effects are explained by self-heating and phase transitions.

Abstract

Non-volatile multivalued memory effects caused by magnetic fields, currents, and voltage pulses are studied in Nd_{0.65}Ca_{0.35}MnO_3 and (Nd_{1-y}Sm_{y})_{0.5}Sr_{0.5}MnO_3 (y=0.75) single crystals in the hysteretic region between ferromagnetic metallic and charge-ordered insulating states. The current/voltage effects observed in this study are explained by the self-heating effect, which enable us to control the colossal electroresistance effects. This thermal-cycle induced switching between electronic solid and liquid states can be regarded as electronic version of atomic crystal/amorphous transitions in phase-change chalcogenides.