Strain-Induced Modulation of Resistive Switching Temperature in Epitaxial VO Thin Films on Flexible Synthetic Mica.

The resistive switching temperature associated with the metal-insulator transition (MIT) of epitaxial VO thin films grown on flexible synthetic mica was modulated by bending stress. The resistive switching temperature of polycrystalline VO and VO thin films, initially grown on synthetic mica without a buffer layer, was observed not to shift with bending stress. By inserting a SnO buffer layer, epitaxial growth of the VO (010) thin film was achieved, and the MIT temperature was found to vary with the bending stress. Thus, it was revealed that the bending response of the VO thin film depends on the presence or absence of the SnO buffer layer. The bending stress applied a maximum in-plane tensile strain of 0.077%, resulting in a high-temperature shift of 2.3 °C during heating and 1.8 °C during cooling. After 10 bending cycles at a radius of curvature = 10 mm, it was demonstrated that the epitaxial VO thin film exhibits resistive switching temperature associated with MIT.