Dislocation impact on resistive switching in single-crystal SrTiO ₃

Numerous candidates attempting to replace Si-based flash memory have failed for a variety of reasons over the years. Oxide-based resistance memory and the related memristor have succeeded in surpassing the specifications for a number of device requirements. However, a material or device structure that satisfies high-density, switching-speed, endurance, retention and most importantly power-consumption criteria has yet to be announced. In this work we demonstrate a TaO(x)-based asymmetric passive switching device with which we were able to localize resistance switching and satisfy all aforementioned requirements. In particular, the reduction of switching current drastically reduces power consumption and results in extreme cycling endurances of over 10(12). Along with the 10 ns switching times, this allows for possible applications to the working-memory space as well. Furthermore, by combining two such devices each with an intrinsic Schottky barrier we eliminate any need for a discrete transistor or diode in solving issues of stray leakage current paths in high-density crossbar arrays.

The great variability in the electrical properties of multinary oxide materials, ranging from insulating, through semiconducting to metallic behaviour, has given rise to the idea of modulating the electronic properties on a nanometre scale for high-density electronic memory devices. A particularly promising aspect seems to be the ability of perovskites to provide bistable switching of the conductance between non-metallic and metallic behaviour by the application of an appropriate electric field. Here we demonstrate that the switching behaviour is an intrinsic feature of naturally occurring dislocations in single crystals of a prototypical ternary oxide, SrTiO(3). The phenomenon is shown to originate from local modulations of the oxygen content and to be related to the self-doping capability of the early transition metal oxides. Our results show that extended defects, such as dislocations, can act as bistable nanowires and hold technological promise for terabit memory devices.