Annealing effect on the ZrO₂ gradual resistance change as a synaptic device

The gradual resistance change of sputtered ZrO 2 with applied pulse is examined. After proper annealing treatment, profound effects are observed, including a larger SET/RESET voltage, a better endurance, and an improved resistance-change linearity. A model is proposed based on the gap distance between the conductive filament and the electrode. Annealing effect is ascribed to the interface engineering which is responsible for the recombination of oxygen vacancies with oxygen ions migration.