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Probing electrochemistry at the nanoscale: in situ TEM and STM characterizations of conducting filaments in memristive devices

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Abstract

Memristors or memristive devices are two-terminal nanoionic systems whose resistance switching effects are induced by ion transport and redox reactions in confined spaces down to nanometer or even atomic scales. Understanding such localized and inhomogeneous electrochemical processes is a challenging but crucial task for continued applications of memristors in nonvolatile memory, reconfigurable logic, and brain inspired computing. Here we give a survey for two of the most powerful technologies that are capable of probing the resistance switching mechanisms at the nanoscale – transmission electron microscopy, especially in situ, and scanning tunneling microscopy, for memristive systems based on both electrochemical metallization and valence changes. These studies yield rich information about the size, morphology, composition, chemical state and growth/dissolution dynamics of conducting filaments and even individual metal nanoclusters, and have greatly facilitated the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of memristive switching. Further characterization of cyclic operations leads to additional insights into the degradation in performance, which is important for continued device optimization towards practical applications.

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Acknowledgements

Y.Y. acknowledges financial support from National Science Foundation of China (61674006, 61421005, 61376087 and 61574007), Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission Program (Z161100000216148) as well as the “1000 Youth Talents Program” of China and also thanks Mr. Jingxian Li for his assistance. M.B., A.M. and A.J.K. gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Y.T., A.T.F. and M.A. acknowledge financial support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS, KAKENHI, 15H01706, 16H0433906 and 16 K18073). Y.Y. prepared sections 1-2. Y.T., A.T.F. and M.A. prepared sections 3-4. M.M., M.B., A.M. and A.J.K. prepared section 5. All authors contributed to section 6, revised and discussed the whole manuscript at all stages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Microelectronic Devices and Circuits (MOE), Institute of Microelectronics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Yuchao Yang

  2. Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0814, Japan

    Yasuo Takahashi, Atsushi Tsurumaki-Fukuchi & Masashi Arita

  3. Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, D-52425, Jülich, Germany

    M. Moors

  4. Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7JE, UK

    M. Buckwell, A. Mehonic & A. J. Kenyon

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  1. Yuchao Yang
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Yang, Y., Takahashi, Y., Tsurumaki-Fukuchi, A. et al. Probing electrochemistry at the nanoscale: in situ TEM and STM characterizations of conducting filaments in memristive devices. J Electroceram 39, 73–93 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10832-017-0069-y

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