Abstract
We show that the main mechanism for the dc voltage or dc current induced insulator-metal transition in vanadium dioxide is due to local Joule heating and not a purely electronic effect. This “tour de force” experiment was accomplished by using the fluorescence spectra of rare-earth doped micron sized particles as local temperature sensors. As the insulator-metal transition is induced by a dc voltage or dc current, the local temperature reaches the transition temperature indicating that Joule heating plays a predominant role. This has critical implications for the understanding of the dc voltage or dc current induced insulator-metal transition and has a direct impact on applications which use dc voltage or dc current to externally drive the transition.
- Received 23 April 2012
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.056601
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