Oxide-based memristive devices: fabrication, characterization and modeling

D. RUBI

Seminario; Seminary talk at Imperial College, London, UK; 2016

Resistive switching (RS) is defined as the reversible and non-volatile change of the electrical resistance of metal-insulator-metal structures upon the application of electrical stress [1]. The most straightforward implementation of RS devices, usually called ?memristors?, is as Resistive Random Access Memories (ReRAM); however, their potential goes beyond this particular application. Memristive systems were demonstrated to be able to perform logical operations [2] and, in addition, they were shown to have a similar behavior than the bit-cells of the human brain (synapses) [3]. These findings suggest that they may constitute an important technological breakthrough in the near future. In this presentation I will discuss our latest results regarding the fabrication, characterization and modeling of the electrical behavior of manganite and TiO2 thin films-based memristive devices. The oxides were grown by pulsed laser deposition or sputtering on top of conducting substrates (n-Si, Pt/Si) and the final devices were shaped by optical or electronic lithography. We have found that different RS mechanisms coexist in these kind of devices [4], asking for a careful analysis to disentangle and control them. Phenomenological models were successfully applied to describe the experimental electrical behavior. Finally, I will discuss different miniaturization approaches and radiation hardness properties, which turn these devices specially suited for application in hostile environments such as satellites or nuclear reactors.