A new class of switching materials

By combining several volume percent of conducting particles in a semicrystalline matrix, a highly temperature-dependent resistivity is obtained. The resistivity changes by several orders of magnitude in a small temperature interval centered on the crystal melting temperature. Moreover, a typical resistivity changes by a factor of hundreds as the frequency changes from 102 to 104 Hz. Materials of this type show dielectric constants in excess of 103 which vary strongly with temperature and frequency.