Novel sol–gel synthesis of transparent and electrically bistable LiNbO3–SiO2 nanocomposites thin films

The morphological and electrical characterization of transparent nanostructured LiNbO3–SiO2 thin films synthesized by a novel sol–gel route is reported. Films annealed at different temperatures exhibit different size of the nanocrystals, as demonstrated by Atomic Force Microscopy and Glancing Incidence X-ray diffraction. The dc electrical measurements performed on planar devices reveal electrical bistability. A clear relationship between the electrical bistability and the size of LiNbO3 nanocrystals embedded in the matrix is observed.