Mechanism for bipolar resistive switching in transition-metal oxides

M. J. ROZENBERG, M. J. SÁNCHEZ, R. WEHT, C .ACHA, F. GOMEZ-MARLASCA AND P. LEVY

PHYSICAL REVIEW B - CONDENSED MATTER AND MATERIALS PHYSICS

APS

Año: 2010 vol. 81 p. 115101 - 1151014

0163-1829

We introduce a model that accounts for the bipolar resistive switching phenomenon observed in transition-metal oxides. It qualitatively describes the electric-field-enhanced migration of oxygen vacancies at the nano-scale. The numerical study of the model predicts that strong electric fields develop in the highly resistive dielectric-electrode interfaces leading to spatially inhomogeneous oxygen vacancies distribution and a con-comitant resistive switching effect. The theoretical results qualitatively reproduce nontrivial resistance hysteresis experiments that we also report providing key validation to our model.