Electric Field-Induced Mott Insulator-to-Metal Transition and Memristive Behaviour in Epitaxial V2O3 Thin Film

We report an isothermal electric field-induced first-order phase transition from a Mott insulator to the metallic state in the epitaxial thin film of V2O3 in the temperature regime below its Mott transition temperature of approximate to 180 K. This isothermal electric field-induced transition is accompanied by interesting electrothermal history effects, which depend on the measurement paths followed in the electric field-temperature phase space. These interesting properties result in tuneable resistive switching and distinct memristive behaviour in V2O3. A generalized framework of disorder-influenced first-order phase transition in combination with a resistor network model has been used to explain the observed experimental features. These findings promise possibilities for Mott insulators to be used as highly energy-efficient switches in novel technologies such as neuromorphic computing.