DC current induced metal-insulator transition in epitaxial Sm 0.6Nd0.4NiO3/LaAlO3 thin film

Abstract

The metal-insulator transition (MIT) in strong correlated electron materials can be induced by external perturbation in forms of thermal, electrical, optical, or magnetic fields. We report on the DC current induced MIT in epitaxial Sm0.6Nd0.4NiO3 (SNNO) thin film deposited by pulsed laser deposition on (001)-LaAlO3 substrate. It was found that the MIT in SNNO film not only can be triggered by thermal, but also can be induced by DC current. The TMI of SNNO film decreases from 282 K to 200 K with the DC current density increasing from 0.003 × 109 A•m-2 to 4.9 × 109 A•m -2. Based on the resistivity curves measured at different temperatures, the MIT phase diagram has been successfully constructed. © 2014 Author(s).