Bipolar resistive switching behavior in Pt/Zn 1− x Mg x O/pyrographite/Pt structure for memory application

Zn 1− x Mg x O thin films have been deposited on highly polished pyrographite substrates using pulsed laser deposition system in vacuum. Platinum electrodes were used to establish electrical contacts. Bipolar resistance behavior with a reproducible switching effect was observed in the Pt/Zn 1− x Mg x O/pyrographite/Pt structure under DC sweeping voltage and pulsed mode operation. Only a low electric field is required to induce bistable switching states. The device properties of the bipolar switching device such as set/reset voltage resistance ratio were investigated. Based on the scanning electron micrographs and the corresponding current–voltage characteristics, it can be revealed that the switching phenomenon is dominated by the localization of the conducting filaments formed at the grain boundaries. The kinetics of the filament forming are found to be highly dependent on Zn 1− x Mg x O microstructure. The fabricated device showed stable and reproducible bipolar resistive switching with reliable switching response for more than 10 3 cycles. The device exhibits good endurance and retention time under ambient conditions.