Ultrahigh tunability of resistive switching in strongly correlated functional oxide

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a strongly correlated material that undergoes reversible resistive switching. However, the underlying mechanism of such resistive switching is still under debate. In this work we report an ultrahigh decrease in the VO2 switching threshold-voltage by more than 35 V and a giant 680% change by modifying the material stoichiometry through tungsten (W) doping. This remarkable effect of chemical doping on the resistive switching characteristics of VO2 illuminates on the fundamental mechanism of the insulator-to-metal transition, which reveals that such abrupt resistive switching is attributed to the electro-thermal actuation process. Furthermore, we report ultralow voltage spontaneous electrical oscillation in W-doped VO2 for the first time. Advances achieved here through the design of a new class of transition metal oxide based strongly correlated materials are of paramount importance for emerging electronics.

Automated summary

In this work, we demonstrate that modifying the stoichiometry of VO2 through tungsten doping leads to a significant decrease in the switching threshold-voltage and a large change in resistive switching characteristics. This reveals that the abrupt resistive switching in VO2 is attributed to the electro-thermal actuation process. Additionally, we report the observation of ultralow voltage spontaneous electrical oscillation in W-doped VO2 for the first time. These findings are of paramount importance for emerging electronics.