An Atomic Force Microscopic Study of Resistive Switching Resonance Activation in ZrO2(Y) Films

Abstract

Local resistive switching in a contact between the probe of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and ZrO2(Y) films (including with a Ta2O5 sublayer) on conducting substrates has been studied. Switching has been initiated by triangular voltage pulses on which an rf sine-wave signal was imposed. The dependence of the difference between currents through the AFM probe in low- and high-ohmic states of dielectric films on the frequency of the rf sine-wave signal exhibits maxima at characteristic frequencies corresponding to hops of O2– ions between oxygen vacancies in ZrO2(Y) and Ta2O5 at 300 K. This effect is related to the resonance activation of O2– ion migration over oxygen vacancies by an external rf electric field.