Transition résistive induite par pulses électriques dans des isolants de Mott : Mécanisme et contrôle à l’échelle nanométrique – NanoMott

During the last few years Electric Pulse Induced Resistive Switching (EPIRS) phenomena have rapidly emerged into an exciting frontier in the active area of strongly correlated systems, due to possible technological applications in next generation electronic devices. The project participants have recently discovered an EPIRS phenomenon in a new class of Mott insulators : the AM4X8 (A= Ga,Ge; M= V, Nb, Ta; X=S, Se) thiospinel compounds. Preliminary experimental results suggest that the EPIRS mechanism observed in these compounds is essentially different from those reported in the literature and is concomitant to the formation of an Electronic Phase Separation in the bulk material. These ground breaking discoveries give hope that the electric pulse might be a pertinent parameter to break the Mott insulating state at the nanometer scale. In this context, the NanoMott project aims (i) to uncover the microscopic mechanisms of the EPIRS effect observed in the AM4X8 family, (ii) to take control of the EPIRS at the nanometer scale in order to take advantage of the novel fascinating fundamental and applied opportunities enabled by the metal-insulator transition induced under electric pulses in these compounds . The NanoMott project is based on an original, complete and multidisciplinary approach that combines: 1- The elaboration of the AM4X8 family in different form and the exploration of the EPIRS effect in these compounds. 2- The theoretical investigation of the EPIRS effect 3- The manipulation and control of the EPIRS effect at the nanometer scale in order to take advantage of the strong potential of the AM4X8 compounds as active components of a new type of high-density fast non-volatile memories (RRAM) that could take over the current Flash technology. The 'NanoMott' project will be carried out in a network of four laboratories with complementary skills in materials sciences and condensed matter physics ' Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN), Nantes ; Laboratoire d'Electrodynamique des Matériaux Avancés, Tours ; Laboratoire de Physique du Solide, Orsay ; Institut des NanoSciences de Paris ' and coordinated by L. Cario (IMN).