LATTICE DISTORTION EFFECTS ON ELECTRICAL SWITCHING IN EPITAXIAL THIN-FILM NDNIO3

Crystalline thin films of NdNiO3 have been epitaxially grown on the (1 00) face of single-crystal LaAlO3 substrates. These films exhibit the characteristic reversible change in electrical conductivity with tempe rature previously observed in bulk polycrystalline material. The tempe rature of the electrical transition in the epitaxial thin films was lo wer than reported for the bulk polycrystalline ceramics. This effect i s attributed to lattice strains associated with the film processing an d interfacial lattice matching constraints.