Nonvolatile Resistive Switching and Physical Mechanism in LaCrO_3 Thin Films

Polycrystalline LaCrO_3(LCO) thin films are deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO_2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition and used as the switching material to construct resistive random access memory devices. The unipolar resistive switching(RS) behavior in the Au/LCO/Pt devices exhibits a high resistance ratio of ~104 between the high resistance state(HRS) and low resistance state(LRS) and exhibits excellent endurance/retention characteristics.The conduction mechanism of the HRS in the high voltage range is dominated by the Schottky emission, while the Ohmic conduction dictates the LRS and the low voltage range of HRS. The RS behavior in the Au/LCO/Pt devices can be understood by the formation and rupture of conducting filaments consisting of oxygen vacancies,which is validated by the temperature dependence of resistance and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results.Further analysis shows that the reset current I_R and reset power P_R in the reset processes exhibit a scaling law with the resistance in LRS(R_0), which indicates that the Joule heating effect plays an essential role in the RS behavior of the Au/LCO/Pt devices.     

Unipolar resistive switching properties of amorphous Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 films grown on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate

Amorphous Pr_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (APCMO) films were grown on a Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si (Pt–Si) substrate at temperatures below 500 °C and the Pt/APCMO/Pt–Si device showed unipolar resistive switching behavior. Conduction behavior of the low resistance state (LRS) of the Pt/APCMO/Pt–Si device followed Ohm's law, and the resistance in LRS was independent of the size of the device, indicating that the conduction behavior in LRS can be explained by the presence of the conductive filaments. On the other hand, the resistance in the high resistance state (HRS) decreased with increasing the device size, and the conduction mechanism in the HRS was explained by Schottky emission.     

The exchange bias in polycrystalline BiFeO3/Ni81Fe19 bilayers on Si substrate with LaNiO3 buffer layer

Single phase polycrystalline BiFeO₃ thin films have been grown on Si substrates using LaNiO₃ as buffer layers by pulsed laser deposition. A transmission electron microscope shows an amorphous thin layer of LaNiO₃ followed by the polycrystalline LaNiO₃, which facilitates the crystallization of a BiFeO₃ layer in R3c structure and suppression of the impurity phases. NiFe layers were deposited on the BiFeO₃ layer by magnetron sputtering. Clear exchange coupling between BiFeO₃ and NiFe (with maximum exchange bias field up to 61 Oe) has been observed at room temperature, and the exchange bias field decreases with increasing the NiFe thickness. Our results clearly demonstrate the potential application of polycrystalline BiFeO₃ in magnetoelectric coupling based spintronics.     

Improved resistive switching performance in Cu-cation migrated MoS2 based ReRAM device incorporated with tungsten nitride bottom electrode

The resistive switching characteristics of sputtered deposited molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) thin film has been investigated in Cu/MoS₂/W₂N stack configuration for Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) application. The benefits of incorporating tungsten nitride (W₂N) as a bottom electrode material were demonstrate by stability in operating voltages, good endurance (10³ cycles) and long non-volatile retention (10³?s) characteristics. Resistive switching properties in Cu/MoS₂/W₂N structure are induced by the formation/disruption of Cu conducting filaments in MoS₂ thin film. Ohmic law and space charge limited current (SCLC) are observed as dominant conduction mechanism in low resistance state (LRS) and high resistance state (HRS) respectively. This study suggests the application of MoS₂ thin films with W₂N bottom electrode for next generation non-volatile ReRAM application.     

Colossal resistance switching in Pt/BiFeO3/Nb:SrTiO3 memristor

We report reversible resistance switching behaviors in Pt/BiFeO₃/Nb:SrTiO₃ memristor. The resistance of the junctions can be tuned up to about five orders of magnitude by applying voltage pulses at room temperature, which exhibits excellent retention and anti-fatigue characteristics. The high performances are promising for employing ferroelectric junctions in nonvolatile memory and logic devices. The nonvolatile resistance switching behaviors could be attributed to the formation and annihilation of trap centers in the BFO films, resulting in Poole–Frenkel emission for low resistance state and the thermionic emission for high resistance state, respectively.     

Resistive switching behavior and mechanism of room-temperature-fabricated flexible Al/TiS2-PVP/ITO/PET memory devices

The mixture of two-dimensional (2D) TiS₂ nanoflakes and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) exhibits a nonvolatile, bipolar resistive switching behavior with a low resistance state (LRS)/high resistance state (HRS) current ratio of ～10² in the devices with a flexible Al/TiS₂-PVP/indium tin oxide (ITO)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) structure. The polymer-assistant liquid-phase exfoliation of 2D nanoflakes from TiS₂ bulk material is processed in low-boiling solvent. And the fabrication process of these devices is performed entirely at room temperature. Such an energy-saving and scalable production process indicates a huge potential of large-scale industrial application. The AFM and TEM characterizations showed that the exfoliated 2D TiS₂ are flakes at micrometer scale with a layer-number of mostly 7 or 8. Both the HRS and the LRS can be kept for more than 10⁴ s. The endurance of devices was obtained over 100 direct current (DC) sweeping cycles with remarkable separations between different resistive states. The distributions of writing (set) and erasing (reset) voltages show that set and reset voltages are small (<2 V). Also, the resistive switching characteristics of the devices are stable during 1000 bending cycles. The switching behavior is explained by the thinning and recovery of Schottky barriers within devices.     

Bipolar resistive switching in BiFe_(0.95)Zn_(0.05)O_3 films

Bipolar resistive switching is studied in BiFe0.95Zn0.05O3 films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on （001） SrTiO3 substrate, with LaNiO3 as the bottom electrode, and Pt as the top electrode. Multiple steps of resistance change are ob- served in the resistive switching process with a slow voltage sweep, indicating the formation/rupture of multiple conductive filaments. A resistive ratio of the high resistance state （HRS） to the low resistance state （LRS） of over three orders of mag- nitude is observed. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism is confirmed to be space-charge-limited conduction with the Schottky emission at the interface with the top Pt electrodes in the HRS, and Ohmic in the LRS. Impedance spectroscopy demonstrates a conductive ferroelectric/interfacial dielectric 2-layer structure, and the formation/rupture of the conductive filaments mainly occurs at the interfacial dielectric layer close to the top Pt electrodes.     

电泳沉积法制备的Zn1-xCxO薄膜的结构及阻变性能

采用电泳沉积法在FTO导电玻璃基片上制备Zn_1-xCu_xO薄膜,并对其微观结构、光致发光谱、伏安特性、保持特性和转换电压分布进行探讨。PL谱表明,Cu掺杂在禁带中引入深受主能级,降低氧空位浓度,导致ZnO薄膜的紫外发光、蓝光发光和绿光发光峰强度降低。所得薄膜的晶粒细小、致密、均匀,具有稳定的双极性阻变特性,开关比R_off/R_on最高达到10⁵,其低阻态（LRS）和高阻态（HRS）的阻变机理分别符合欧姆定律和空间电荷限制传导理论。器件经100次循环测试后开关比无明显变化,呈现出较为良好的抗疲劳特性。Cu掺杂对LRS影响不大,但显著改善了HRS的分散性以及转换电压V_SET的分散性。当Cu掺杂量x=0.04时,器件表现出良好的综合性能：R_off≈10⁶ Ω,R_off/R_on≈10⁴,V_SET介于0.4~3.03 V之间。     

Analysis of resistive switching behaviors of vanadium oxide thin film

We demonstrated the polarization of resistive switching for Cu/VO_x/Cu memory cell. Switching behaviors of Cu/VO_x/Cu cell were tested by semiconductor device analyzer (Agilent B1500A), and the relative micro-analysis of I-V characteristics of VO_x/Cu was characterized by conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM). The I-V test results indicated that both forming and the reversible resistive switching between low resistance state (LRS) and high resistance state (HRS) can be observed under either positive or negative sweep. The CAFM images for LRS and HRS directly exhibited evidences of the formation and rupture of filaments based on positive or negative voltage. Cu/VO_x/Cu sandwiched structure exhibits a reversible resistive switching behavior and shows potential applications in the next generation nonvolatile memory field.     

Coexistence of nonvolatile unipolar and volatile threshold resistive switching in the Pt/LaMnO3/Pt heterostructures

Coexistence of nonvolatile unipolar and volatile threshold resistive switching is observed in the Pt/LaMnO₃ (LMO)/Pt heterostructures. The nonvolatile unipolar memory is achieved by applying a negative bias, while the volatile threshold resistive switching is obtained under a positive bias. Additionally, the pristine low resistance state (LRS) could be switched to high resistance state (HRS) by the positive voltage sweeping, which is attributed to the conduction mechanism of Schottky emission. Subsequently, the insulator-to-metal transition in the LMO film due to formation of ferromagnetic metallic phase domain contributes to the volatile threshold resistive switching. However, the nonvolatile unipolar switching under the negative bias is ascribed to the formation/rupture of oxygen-vacancy conducting filaments. The simultaneously controllable transition between nonvolatile and volatile resistance switching by the polarity of the applied voltage exhibits great significance in the applications of in-memory computing technology.     

Enhanced fatigue property of PZT thin films using LaNiO3 thin layer as bottom electrode

A highly (100)-oriented metallic LaNiO₃ film was prepared directly on a Si substrate by a simple metalorganic decomposition (MOD) technique using lanthanum nitrate and nickel acetate as the starting sources. Subsequent Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) thin films deposited on the LaNiO₃-coated Si substrate were obtained by a modified sol–gel method. It was found that the PZT thin films began to form a single perovskite phase at a low annealing temperature of 530 °C, and exhibited highly (100) orientation. A ferroelectric capacitor of Pt/Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃/LaNiO₃/Si annealed at 600 °C displayed a good P-E hysteresis characteristic and was fatigue-free even after 10¹¹ switching cycles. Received: 25 May 2000 / Accepted: 9 August 2000 / Published online: 30 November 2000     

Polar properties of hydrothermally synthesized BiFeO3 thin films

Multiferroic bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) has attracted considerable attention due to applications related to the bulk photovoltaic effect in which the direction of polarization determines the direction of the photocurrent. Epitaxial thin films are produced by means of techniques that usually require high temperature processes. The hydrothermal method can be seen as an alternative route to obtain highly textured thin films in quantities compatible with batch processing; nevertheless, the structural, dielectric and electric properties are generally affected by the presence of hydrogen and other reaction by-products. In this work, functional and highly textured BiFeO₃ films were successfully produced on metallic SrTiO₃:Nb (0.5 wt.%) (100) substrates via hydrothermal synthesis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to analyze the structural properties of the films. Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM) and Photoconductive Atomic Force Microscopy (Pc-AFM) were used to determine their functional properties. We show the polarization switching and confirm the presence of the bulk photovoltaic effect for the first time in hydrothermally synthesized BiFeO₃.     

Coexistence of resistive switching and magnetism modulation in sol-gel derived nanocrystalline spinel Co3O4 thin films

We report the coexistence of resistive switching and magnetism modulation in the Pt/Co₃O₄/Pt devices, where the effects of thermal annealing and film thickness on the resistive and magnetization switching were investigated. The sol-gel derived nanocrystalline Co₃O₄ thin films obtained crack-free surface and crystallized cubic spinel structure. The 110 nm Co₃O₄ film based device annealed at 600 °C exhibited optimum resistive switching parameters. From I–V curves fitting and temperature dependent resistance, the conduction mechanism in the high-voltage region of high resistance state was dominated by Schottky emission. Magnetization-magnetic field loops demonstrated the ferromagnetic behaviors of the Co₃O₄ thin films. Multilevel saturation magnetization of the Co₃O₄ thin films can be easily realized by tuning the resistance states. Physical resistive switching mechanism can be attributed to the rejuvenation and annihilation of conductive filament consisting of oxygen vacancies. Results suggest that Pt/Co₃O₄/Pt device shows promising applications in the multifunctional electromagnetic integrated devices.     

Characteristics of the bipolar resistive switching behavior in memory device with Au/ZnO/ITO structure

In this work, reproducible and stable bipolar resistive switching behavior without the requirement of forming process is observed in the memory device with Au/ZnO/ITO structure. It shows a high R_on/R_off ratio, where R_on and R_off are the resistance at low resistance state (LRS) and high resistance state (HRS), respectively. The dominated transport mechanisms for LRS and HRS are related to space charge limited current and Ohmic behavior, respectively. This bipolar resistive behavior is attributed to the formation and rupture of conducting filaments which are constructed with oxygen vacancies. The Au/ZnO/ITO device discussed in this work shows huge potential applications in the next generation nonvolatile memory field.     

Temperature-dependent resistive switching behavior in the structure of Au/Nb:SrTiO3/Ti

Au/Nb:SrTiO₃/Ti structures were fabricated by depositing Au and Ti electrodes on a single crystal 0.5 wt% Nb:SrTiO₃ (NSTO) using rf-magnetron sputtering technique. Resistive switching properties at different temperature were investigated. The Ti/NSTO interface was ohmic contact, which indicated that the resistive switching behavior was attributed to Au/NSTO interface. The resistive switching behavior happened only at the temperature above 180 K, which was possibly caused by the increase of Schottky barrier height with the increase of temperature. The structure showed a semiconductor behavior at high-resistance state (HRS) and a metallic behavior at low-resistance state (LRS). The switching conduction mechanism of Au/NSTO/Ti device is primarily described as space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) according to the electrical transport properties measurement.     

Thickness dependent magnetic and ferroelectric properties of LaNiO3 buffered BiFeO3 thin films

BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films with thickness increasing from 40 to 480 nm were successfully grown on LaNiO₃ (LNO) buffered Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrate and the effects of thickness evolution on magnetic and ferroelectric properties are investigated. The LNO buffer layer promotes the growth and crystallization of BFO thin films. Highly (100) orientation is induced for all BFO films regardless of the film thickness together with the dense microstructure. All BFO films exhibited weak ferromagnetic response at room temperature and saturation magnetization is found to decrease with increase in film thickness. Well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops were obtained for thicker films; however, the leakage current dominated the ferroelectric properties in thinner films. The leakage current density decreased by three orders of magnitude for 335 nm film compared to 40 nm film, giving rise to enhanced ferroelectric properties for thicker films. The mechanisms for the evolution of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric characteristics are discussed.     

Resistive switching functional quantum-dot light-emitting diodes

This study demonstrates quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) with a function of resistive switching memory, capable of on/off operation at the same driving current depending on reset/set state. The QD-LEDs were fabricated by spin-coating process and experienced two different annealing conditions, which yielded defective or less-defective V₂O_5–x layer. One of the annealing conditions produced QD-LEDs with the unusual electrical behaviors of negative differential resistance (NDR), capacitance oscillation, and voltage–current hysteresis curves, signifying so-called resistive switching characteristics. X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopies were used to examine the chemical state of the differently annealed V₂O_5–x layers. The less stoichiometric V₂O_5–x layer was found to be responsible for the resistive switching behaviors of the NDR and the low and high resistance states (LRS and HRS, respectively). We discuss the LRS/HRS of V₂O_5–x for resistive switching in terms of a conductive filament effect, induced by microstructural changes caused by oxygen drift and vacancy annihilation processes in the high defect density V₂O_5–x layer.     

Ferroelectric domain structures and polarization switching characteristics of polycrystalline BiFeO3 thin films on glass substrates

We investigated ferroelectric characteristics of BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films on SrRuO₃ (SRO)/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)/glass substrates grown by pulsed laser deposition. YSZ buffer layers were employed to grow highly crystallized BFO thin films as well as SRO bottom electrodes on glass substrates. The BFO thin films exhibited good ferroelectric properties with a remanent polarization of 2P_r = 59.6 μC/cm² and fast switching behavior within about 125 ns. Piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) study revealed that the BFO thin films have much smaller mosaic ferroelectric domain patterns than epitaxial BFO thin films on Nb:SrTiO₃ substrates. Presumably these small domain widths which originated from smaller domain energy give rise to the faster electrical switching behavior in comparison with the epitaxial BFO thin films on Nb:SrTiO₃ substrates.     

Low temperature uniaxial growth of conducting LaNiO3 thin films on glass substrates with RbLaNb2O7 seed layer

Conducting LaNiO₃ thin films have been fabricated on the borosilicate glass substrates with and without the uniaxial oriented RbLaNb₂O₇ seed layer by an excimer laser assisted metal organic deposition process with a KrF laser irradiation at 400°C in air. The LaNiO₃ thin film prepared on the seed layer had a very high Lotgering factor at F(100)=0.971, indicating highly (100)-oriented growth. The obtained LaNiO₃ thin films with and without the seed layer showed low resistivity values, 4.42 and 1.02 mΩ cm at room temperature, respectively. The ρ value of the (100)-oriented LaNiO₃ film on the seed layer was comparably lowered to that of the films prepared at high process temperatures reported in the previous reports.     

Local leakage current behaviours of BiFeO3 films

The leakage current behaviours of polycrystalline BiFeO₃ thin films are investigated by using both conductive atomic force microscopy and current-voltage characteristic measurements. The local charge transport pathways are found to be located mainly at the grain boundaries of the films. The leakage current density can be tuned by changing the post-annealing temperature, the annealing time, the bias voltage and the light illumination, which can be used to improve the performances of the ferroelectric devices based on the BiFeO₃ films. A possible leakage mechanism is proposed to interpret the charge transports in the polycrystalline BiFeO₃ films.