Influence of oxygen ion elementary diffusion jumps on the electron current through the conductive filament in yttria stabilized zirconia nanometer-sized memristor

The structure of the electron current through an individual filament of a nanometer-sized virtual memristor consisting of a contact of a conductive atomic force microscope probe to an yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin film deposited on a conductive substrate is investigated. Usually, such investigation is performed by the analysis of the waveform of this current with the aim to extract the random telegraph noise (RTN). Here, we suggest a new indirect method, which is based on the measurement of the spectrum of the low-frequency flicker noise in this current without extracting the RTN, taking into account the geometrical parameters of the filament. We propose that the flicker noise is caused by the motion (drift/diffusion) of oxygen ions via oxygen vacancies within and around the filament. This allows us to estimate the root mean square magnitude i(0) of the current jumps, which are caused by random jumps of oxygen ions, and the number M of these ions. This is fundamental for understanding the elementary mechanisms of electron current flowing through the filament and resistive switching in YSZ-based memristor devices. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study investigates the electron current structure in a nanometer-sized virtual memristor filament by measuring the spectrum of low-frequency flicker noise, without extracting random telegraph noise. Flicker noise is caused by the motion of oxygen ions, allowing estimation of current jumps and the number of ions. This is essential for understanding the elementary mechanisms of electron current flow through the filament and resistive switching in YSZ-based memristor devices.