Resistive switching on MgO-based metal-insulator-metal structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

M. MENGHINI; C. P. QUINTEROS; C. Y. SU; P. HOMM; P. LEVY; J. KITTL; J. P. LOCQUET

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Lugar: Weinheim; Año: 2015 vol. 12 p. 246 - 249

1862-6254

We report on non-polar switching of the resistance between a low (LRS) and a high (HRS) resistive state in MgO-based metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures. The MgO films were grown by MBE on top of Pt/Si substrates and top electrodes of Pt were used. The observed resistance ratio is of the order of 10^8-10^9, much larger than previously reported values in similar devices. A gradual degradation is observed during consecutive switching events. We observe a significant large dispersion of the voltages at which the resistance switch occurs. The use of a transistor in the circuit as a current limiter and an ac protocol helps to increase the lifetime of the devices. We also study the effect of the presence of a layer of either Al2O3 or Mg within the Pt/MgO/Pt structures on the switching performance.