The Effect of Current Compliance on the Resistive Switching Behaviors in TiN/ZrO₂/Pt Memory Device

In this paper, TiN/ZrO2/Pt sandwiched resistive switching memory devices were fabricated. The effect of set current compliance on the resistive switching behaviors in TiN/ZrO2/Pt memory device was studied. The different dependence of low resistance state on the set current compliance were observed under the different magnitudes of set current compliance: 1) the average read current was linearly dependent on the set current compliance in the magnitude of low set current compliance; 2) then a weaker dependence of the average read current on the set current compliance was observed in the magnitude of higher set current compliance; 3) when the current compliance is high enough, the unipolar resistive switching behaviors instead of the bipolar resistive switching was shown. A physical model based on oxygen vacancy conducting filamentary paths is proposed to explain the effect of set current compliance on the resistive switching behaviors in TiN/ZrO2/Pt memory device. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics