Electrically tailored resistance switching in silicon oxide

International audienceResistive switching in a metal-free silicon-based material offers a compelling alternative toexisting metal oxide-based resistive RAM (ReRAM) devices, both in terms of ease offabrication and of enhanced device performance. We report a study of resistive switching indevices consisting of non-stoichiometric silicon-rich silicon dioxide thin films. Our devicesexhibit multi-level switching and analogue modulation of resistance as well as standardtwo-level switching.We demonstrate different operational modes that make it possible to dynamically adjustdevice properties, in particular two highly desirable properties: nonlinearity andself-rectification. This can potentially enable high levels of device integration in passivecrossbar arrays without causing the problem of leakage currents in common line semi-selecteddevices.Aspects of conduction and switching mechanisms are discussed, and scanning tunnellingmicroscopy (STM) measurements provide a more detailed insight into both the location andthe dimensions of the conductive filaments