Evidence for an Oxygen Diffusion Model for the Electric Pulse Induced Resistance Change Effect in Transition-Metal Oxides

Abstract

Electric-pulse induced resistance hysteresis switching loops for Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 perovskite oxide films were found to exhibit an additional sharp "shuttle tail" peak around the negative pulse maximum for films deposited in an oxygen-deficient ambient. The resistance relaxation in time of this "shuttle tail" peak as well as resistance relaxation in the transition regions of the resistance hysteresis loop show evidence of oxygen diffusion under electric pulsing, and support a proposed oxygen diffusion model with oxygen vacancy pileup at the metal electrode interface region as the active process for the nonvolatile resistance switching effect in transition-metal oxides.

Reversible alternation between bipolar and unipolar resistive switching in polycrystalline barium strontium titanate thin films

“…The transition from bipolar switching to unipolar switching induced by forming is accompanied by a change of the charge carrier transport in LRS, from the thermally activated transport to a metallic transport, while in HRS both the bipolar and unipolar switching mode show thermally activated charge carrier transport, as reported elsewhere. 12 In general, bipolar switching in perovskite insulators is attributed to a voltage-driven oxygen vacancy migration 14 within extended defects and the resulting redox-process related metal-to-insulator transition. While thermal effects generally are considered to play a minor role for bipolar switching, Joule heating plays a key role for the formation and rupture of metallic filaments in the unipolar switching mode.…”

Nonvolatile Resistive Switching inPt/LaAlO3/SrTiO3Heterostructures

“…The migration of charged oxygen vacancies is the mostly cited mechanism responsible for the RS behavior observed in a wide range of sandwich-type oxide-based devices [34,[74][75][76][77][78]. However, as proposed by Liu and co-workers, the trapping or detrapping of electrons in the defect-derived quasiconduction band in 150-nm-thick LAO films can lead to the overlap of wave functions and the reversible insulator-metal transitions [68].…”

The resistive switching in TiO2 films studied by conductive atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy

“…Although the microscopic mechanisms in resistive switching are still under intensive debate, the migration of oxygen ions under an electrical field is widely accepted to play a key role. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Based on the filamentary theories, the formation/rupture of conductive filaments could be due to electromigration of ions, and result in a significant change in current flow. The interface between metal and oxide is also extensively investigated, and frequently attributed to perform a critical function in the switching process.…”