The form and stability of current-voltage characteristics for ideal thermal switching

Abstract
Analyses of ideal models, where heat flow is restricted to one direction, result in good qualitative agreement with the current‐voltage characteristics observed in materials that exhibit an abrupt change in electrical conductivity at a critical temperature, such as VO2. Stability criteria are proved for thermally induced ``S and N‐shaped'' characteristics in two different geometries, where the internal current or field distributions are nonuniform.