Fast reversible thermoelectrical switching in manganite thin films

Abstract

The authors report on fast reversible switching of epitaxial and polycrystalline La0.83Sr0.17MnO3 films from the ferromagnetic to the paramagnetic state induced by high power nanosecond electrical pulses. It was demonstrated that for the epitaxial films adiabatic and uniform Joule heating is the reason of the switching. For polycrystalline films, electronic processes reduce the film resistance within a subnanosecond. For longer times, adiabatic nonhomogeneous heating plays the main role in the switching dynamics. Possible device applications of this phenomenon are also discussed. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.