Electrical switching in single crystal VO₂

Abstract

I-V characteristics of single crystal vanadium dioxide has been measured using a constant current source in the ambient temperature region 220-325° K. The temperature of the crystal surface has also been measured. It is observed that the switching voltage (V_th) increases but the current at switching (I_th) decreases with decreasing temperature, giving a temperature independent threshold power (V_th × I_th). At switching, the temperature of the crystal surface increases only by 3-6° K above ambient for different ambient temperatures. These results can be qualitatively explained by assuming that a filament (channel) is formed before switching. The switching occurs when the temperature of this filament of finite width approaches the semiconductor-metal transition temperature. The initial width of the channel at switching decreases with decreasing temperature and at a given ambient temperature the channel width increases with increasing current in the post breakdown region.