Electrically Induced Negative Differential Resistance States Mediated by Oxygen Octahedra Coupling in Manganites for Neuronal Dynamics

The precipitous rise of consumer network applications reiterates the urgency to redefine computing hardware with a low power footprint. Neuromorphic computing utilizing correlated oxides offers an energy-efficient solution. By designing anisotropic functional properties in LSMO on a twinned LAO substrate and driving it out of thermodynamic equilibrium, two distinct negative differential resistance states are demonstrated in such volatile memristors. These are harnessed to exhibit oscillatory dynamics in LSMO at different frequencies and an artificial neuron with leaky integrate-and-fire dynamics. A material-based modeling incorporating bond angle distortions in neighboring perovskites and capturing the inhomogeneity of domain distribution and propagation explains both the NDR regimes. The findings establish LSMO as an important material for neuromorphic computing hardware.