Metal Oxide Thin-Films as Basis of Memristive Nonvolatile Memory Devices

The design of silicon-based memory devices over the past 50+ years has driven the development of increasingly powerful and miniaturized computers with the demand for increased computational power and data storage capacity continuing unabated. However, fundamental physical limits are now complicating further downscaling. The oxide-based memristor, a simple M/I/M structure, in which the resistive state can be reversibly switched by application of appropriate voltages, promises to replace classic transistors in the future. It has the potential to achieve an
order-of-mag-nitude-lower operation power than existing RAM technology and paves the way for neuromorphic memory devices relying on non-binary coding. The studies focus on understanding the mechanisms that lead to memristance in a variety of insulating and mixed ionic electronic conductors, thereby providing guidelines for material selection and for achieving improved device performance and robustness.