Electric-pulse-induced reversible resistance change effect in magnetoresistive films

A large electric-pulse-induced reversible resistance change active at room temperature and under zero magnetic field has been discovered in colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin films. Electric field-direction-dependent resistance changes of more than 1700% were observed under applied pulses of ∼100 ns duration and as low as ±5 V magnitude. The resistance changes were cumulative with pulse number, were reversible and nonvolatile. This electrically induced effect, observed in CMR materials at room temperature has both the benefit of a discovery in materials properties and the promise of applications for thin film manganites in the electronics arena including high-density nonvolatile memory.