Dynamics of percolative breakdown mechanism in tantalum oxide resistive switching

Switching dynamics are studied for tantalum oxide resistive random access memory subjected to long-duration constant current pulses for both SET and RESET transitions. The processes draw parallels to the widely studied percolation model for dielectric breakdown. The RESET transition is shown to consist of changes to critical local conduction sites and their effect on performance parameters such as switching speed and energy are discussed. Additionally, the SET transition shows an unexpected minimum stable resistance state. When driven below that state the device is found to increase resistance, returning to the stable state. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.