Microstructure and dynamics of vacancy-induced nanofilamentary switching network in donor doped SrTiO3−x memristors

Abstract

Donor doping of perovskite oxides has emerged as an attractive technique to create high performance and low energy non-volatile analog memories. Here, we examine the origins of improved switching performance and stable multi-state resistive switching in Nb-doped oxygen-deficient amorphous SrTiO3 (Nb:a-STOx) metal–insulator–metal (MIM) devices. We probe the impact of substitutional dopants (i.e., Nb) in modulating the electronic structure and subsequent switching performance. Temperature stability and bias/time dependence of the switching behavior are used to ascertain the role of substitutional dopants and highlight their utility to modulate volatile and non-volatile behavior in a-STOx devices for adaptive and neuromorphic applications. We utilized a combination of transmission electron microscopy, photoluminescence emission properties, interfacial compositional evaluation, and activation energy measurements to investigate the microstructure of the nanofilamentary network responsible for switching. These results provide important insights into understanding mechanisms that govern the performance of donor-doped perovskite oxide-based memristive devices.