Observation of indium ion migration-induced resistive switching in Al/Mg0.5Ca0.5TiO3/ITO

Understanding switching mechanisms is very important for resistive random access memory (RRAM) applications. This letter reports an investigation of Al/Mg0.5Ca0.5TiO3 (MCTO)/ITO RRAM, which exhibits bipolar resistive switching behavior. The filaments that connect Al electrodes with indium tin oxide electrodes across the MCTO layer at a low-resistance state are identified. The filaments composed of In2O3 crystals are observed through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, nanobeam diffraction, and comparisons of Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards (JCPDS) cards. Finally, a switching mechanism resulting from an electrical field induced by In3+ ion migration is proposed. In3+ ion migration forms/ruptures the conductive filaments and sets/resets the RRAM device.