Influence of pressure and temperature on switching in vanadium pentoxide

The initial switch in polycrystalline V2O5 specimens (300–400 μ thick) at room temperature is associated with melting caused by power-induced Joule heating and also with a color change from yellow-orange to black. The resulting black material exhibits threshold switching. High-pressure studies show a pressure dependence on threshold power for V2O5, and on threshold field for an amorphous chalcogenide. Low-temperature studies indicate an increase in turnover power with decreasing temperature for V2O5. High-temperature studies show that V2O5 melts with decreasing resistivity at about 690°C.