Redox-controlled tunneling electroresistance in NdNiO₃/MoSi junctions

Resistive switching effects offer new opportunities in the field of conventional memories as well as in the booming area of neuromorphic computing. The tunneling electroresistance, usually observed in ferroelectric tunnel junctions, allows for large and fast resistance variations triggered by voltage pulses. We have recently demonstrated that similar tunnel resistance switching effects can be produced in judiciously chosen metal/oxide junctions by an electrochemical (redox) mechanism (1). Here we show that this mechanism can be exploited in junctions based on NdNiO₃, an interesting material due to its first-order metal-insulator transition that adds an additional degree of freedom to the studied devices. We find that the studied NdNiO₃/MoSi junctions present large tunnel electroresistance (several orders of magnitude), and that, depending on the temperature, the lifetime of the resistance states can be largely tuned. Furthermore, the resistance switching is accompanied by a shift of the metal-insulator transition temperature, which further supports the redox scenario.

(1) Rouco, V., et al. Quasiparticle tunnel electroresistance in superconducting junctions. Nature communications, 11(1), 1-9 (2020)