Forming‐Free Resistive Switching of Electrochemical Titanium Oxide Localized Nanostructures: Anodization, Chemical Composition, Nanoscale Size Effects, and Memristive Storage
R V Tominov, V I Avilov, Zakhar Vakulov, Daniil Khakhulin, O A Ageev, Ilia Valov, V. A. Smirnov
Abstract
Abstract Electrochemical anodization is a powerful method for the preparation of oxide thin films with controlled thickness, structure, and composition and proves as a promising approach to be applied to memristive devices. Here, experimental studies on titanium oxide nanoscale structures produced by local anodic oxidation and the influence of the thickness on the memristive properties are presented. Controllable preparation of forming‐free memristive cells with switching voltages less than 3 V are demonstrated. The chemical composition and oxidation state of the elements in the TiO x nanostructures are analyzed by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which reveals the formation of TiO 2 (458.4 eV), Ti 2 O 3 (456.6 eV), and TiO (454.8 eV). The increasing thickness of the devices from 4.5 ± 0.7 to 7.9 ± 0.3 nm leads to a decrease in the OFF to ON resistance ratio from 250 to 10.7, respectively. The mechanism of formation and resistive switching in the anodic devices is also discussed. The results can be applied to the design and development of technological processes for memristive structure manufacturing based on electrochemical oxidation.