Phenomenology of electrical switching behavior of SeTeSnCd thin films for memory applications

Abstract The objective of the present research is to investigate the consequences of the incorporation of a small amount of Cd on the electrical switching behavior at high electric field 104 V/cm in Se78-xTe20Sn2Cdx (x = 0, 2, 4, and 6) thin films. The thermal evaporation method has been utilized for thin-film deposition on a highly polished pyrographite substrate. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for the thin films of the examined samples exhibit a resistive switching of memory-type. The effect of ambient temperature and Cadmium content on the switching characteristics and voltage has been studied. The exponential decay in the observed average value of the switching voltage (Vth) is found with the rise in temperature and Cd addition as well. An endeavor had been done to study the observed compositional dependence in terms of the thermal-induced glass transition temperature (Tg), thermal stability, chemical bond approach, and lone-pair electrons (LP). On metal addition (Cd), the threshold voltage, glass transition temperature, and lone-pair electrons decrease while the chemical order network increases by the increase of the Cd-Se homopolar bonds. The switching phenomenon in amorphous Se78-xTe20Sn2Cdx (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) thin films is elucidated according to an electro-thermal model based on the Joule-heating effect.