Stateful characterization of resistive switching TiO₂ with electron beam induced currents

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Solid-State Electronics

Background:

• Metal oxide resistive switches are key components for artificial synapses in neuromorphic computing.
• Standardized methods for studying these devices are lacking.
• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a promising material for resistive switching applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish electron beam-induced current (EBIC) measurements as a robust tool for analyzing local resistive switching in TiO2 devices.
• To correlate EBIC data with device morphology and switching state.
• To elucidate the mechanisms behind filament formation and scaling in resistive switches.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing electron beam-induced current (EBIC) microscopy to probe resistive switching.
• Performing beam energy-dependent EBIC measurements.
• Employing Monte Carlo simulations to model electron energy absorption in device layers.
• Analyzing symmetric device structures to observe polarization domains.

Main Results:

• EBIC effectively monitors the development of local resistive switching in TiO2 devices.
• Comparing EBIC with simulations allows deconstruction of filament image formation origins.
• Insights into resistive switching scaling and current leakage regions around filaments were gained.
• Propagating polarization domains were observed in symmetric device structures.

Conclusions:

• EBIC is a powerful technique for characterizing resistive switching in metal oxide devices.
• Understanding filament formation and scaling is crucial for advancing neuromorphic computing hardware.
• Further investigation into polarization phenomena could enhance device performance.