Origins of Visible Light Emission upon Resistive Switching in NbO<sub>2</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

Future computing aims to integrate both electrical and optical components to gain high on-chip functional density. Here we present the discovery of a light emission occurring simultaneously with neuron-like resistive switching in electrical devices made of NbO2, a Mott insulator-metal-transition material [1]. We uncover that upon resistive switching, the NbO2 device emits light, with a peak in the visible wavelengths, measured via in-situ emission spectroscopy. We evaluate the measured emission spectra against pure blackbody models to understand their possible thermal origins. Further, we perform in-situ Raman spectroscopy during electrical switching, calibrated with ambient-temperature-controlled NbO2 films, to investigate electronic origins of the observed light emission. We rely upon previously reported band structure for these NbO2 thin films to assess our findings [2]. Our conclusion illustrates the possible thermal and electronic origins of light emission observed in electrically-switched NbO2. This discovery of an unprecedented light emission coupled with neuron-like switching in NbO2 has potential applications for metrology, electro-optical transduction, and on-chip light sources.

[1] Zhou et al., Proc. IEEE 103, 1289 (2015)

[2] Wong et al., Phys. Rev. B 90, 115135 (2014)

*We acknowledge Stanford Graduate Fellowship, Stanford System-X and Laboratory Directed R&D program at Sandia Nat'l Lab., operated for U.S. DoE's Nat'l Nuclear Security Administration under DE-NA0003525.

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Publication: M. Islam, S.M. Bohaichuk, T. D. Brown, C. Perez, C. Zhang, T.J. Park, A.A. Talin, S. Ramanathan, S. Kumar, E. Pop, "Visible Light Emission during Electrical Threshold Switching of NbO2 Switches," (in preparation).

Presenters

  • Mahnaz Islam

    • Stanford University
    • Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

Authors

  • Mahnaz Islam

    • Stanford University
    • Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

  • Stephanie M Bohaichuk

    • Stanford Univ
    • Electrical Engineering, Stanford University

  • Timothy D Brown

    • Sandia CA
    • Sandia National Laboratories
    • Sandia National Laboratories, CA

  • Christopher Perez

    • Stanford University, USA
    • Stanford University
    • Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

  • Chengyang Zhang

    • Materials Engineering, Purdue University

  • Tae Joon Park

    • Materials Engineering, Purdue University

  • A. Alec J Talin

    • Sandia National Laboratories, CA
    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Shriram Ramanathan

    • Purdue University
    • Materials Engineering, Purdue University

  • Suhas Kumar

    • Stanford University
    • Sandia National Laboratories
    • Sandia National Laboratories, CA
    • Sandia National Labs

  • Eric pop

    • Stanford Univ
    • Stanford University, USA
    • Stanford University
    • Electrical Engineering, Stanford University