Understanding the Influence of Metal Oxide Layer Thickness and Defects on Resistive Switching Behavior Through Numerical Modeling

The resistive switching dynamics in metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures may be explained through the formation and rupture of metallic filaments in the dielectric layer. Considerable research has been performed as an attempt to explain the microscopic origins of how regions that are originally insulating can change into conductors. Looking at how these conducting local regions are interconnected, the simulation of these localized switches can help understand how material properties such as thickness and defects influence the switching behavior and parameters. Here, the random circuit breaker (RCB) model is implemented and the dependence of the forming, Set, and Reset voltages on the oxide thickness and defect percentage is compared with experimental data. Only the forming voltage increases with the thickness, showing that, after the first step, the conductive filament formation and rupture occur only at a thinner thickness. It is observed that a higher percentage of initial conductive defects in the oxide layer promotes the forming step.