Resistance switching of Au-implanted-ZrO2 film for nonvolatile memory application

The resistive switching characteristics and switching mechanisms of the Au-implanted-ZrO2 film are extensively investigated for nonvolatile memory applications. Reversible resistance-switching behavior from a high resistance to low resistance state can be traced by dc voltage and pulse voltage. After more than 200 dc switching cycles, the resistance ratio between the high and low resistance states is more than 180 times under 0.7 V readout bias. In the voltage pulse test, the “write” and “erase” speeds can be as fast as 50 and 100 ns, respectively. No data loss is observed for more than 106 s. The formation and rupture of conducting filamentary paths related to the implanted Au ions are suggested to be responsible for the resistive switching phenomenon. The dependence of resistance on temperature indicates that the variable-range hopping conduction mechanism is dominated in the low-resistance state, while the current characteristics are governed by the trap-controlled space limited conduction mechanism in the high-resistance state. © 2008 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.3033561