Room Temperature Resistive Switching in Manganite Thin Films

Resistive switching (RS), i.e. the switching between two distinct resistive states electrically controlled, is currently a subject of major interest because of its very promising properties for the implementation of data storage devices. In this work we report on the reversible transitions from low resistive (LR) to high resistivity (HR) states in high quality manganite thin films (LSMO) prepared by RF sputtering on top of (001) oriented STO substrates. The transitions between the LR and HR states are induced by the application of a bias voltage by means of the conducting tip of a scanning force microscope [1]. The experimental setup is arranged in order to avoid parasitic interfacial phenomena (e.g., metal diffusion) or electrode interconnections (e.g., filamentary formation). These RS experiments have been performed on few microns wide patterned LSMO structures. The magnetotransport properties and thermal stability of these LR and HR states are investigated in order to gain a deeper insight into the nature of the structural/electronic modifications generated by the application of high electric field by means of the AFM tip on the manganite film. \\[4pt] [1] C. Moreno et al. \textit{Nanoletters 10, 3828 (2010)}