Resistance switching characteristics for nonvolatile memory operation of binary metal oxides

The resistance switching behaviors Of SiO2, HfO2, and TiO2 are investigated to elucidate their universal physical origins. It is demonstrated that a multideposition film fabrication process consisting of repeated thin film deposition and low-temperature annealing in O-2 ambient leads to superior resistance switching behaviors, such as forming-free switching characteristics, low switching voltage, and high resistance ratio of low- and high-resistance states compared with the conventional sputtered TiO2 film. From the resistance switching characteristics of binary metal oxide films, it is also observed that the device operation parameters, including reset/set voltages and resistance ratio, are related to the dielectric constants of the oxides.