Space Charge Limited Conduction Mechanism Research Articles

Achieving white electroluminescence and low current consumption in devices based on graphene oxide and silicon

This work reports the emission of white electroluminescence (EL) in devices based on silicon. These devices are formed by a heterostructure of porous silicon (PSi), graphene oxide (GO), silicon-rich-oxide (SRO) thin films, and zinc oxide (ZnO) as a transparent conductor oxide (contact). The current consumption in these devices has been reduced by approximately three orders of magnitude compared to the current currents commonly reported for electroluminescent devices. The white EL emission is corroborated by the EL spectra, which are very broad (from 400 to 750 nm) and are attributed to the different nanostructured defects present in the materials that make up the heterostructures. The devices exhibited EL only in negative bias. According to our analysis of the I–V curves, the space-charge limited current conduction mechanism is the dominant carrier conduction mechanism in the region where the EL takes place. The electroluminescence exhibited by these devices starts at a current of 1.1 μA and is the entire area electroluminescent at approximately 3 μA reaches its maximum value at 9 μA. We demonstrated that producing LEDs on a Si substrate can result in significant energy savings.

Compositional effects of hybrid MoS2–GO active layer on the performance of unipolar, low-power and multistate RRAM device

Currently, 2D nanomaterials-based resistive random access memory (RRAMs) are explored on account of their tunable material properties enabling fabrication of low power and flexible RRAM devices. In this work, hybrid MoS2–GO based active layer RRAM devices are investigated. A facile hydrothermal co-synthesis approach is used to obtain the hybrid materials and a cost-effective spin coating method adopted for the fabrication of Ag/MoS2–GO/ITO RRAM devices. The performance of the fabricated hybrid active layer RRAM device is analysed with respect to change in material properties of the synthesized hybrid material. The progressive addition of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 4.5 weight % of GO to MoS2, results in a hybrid active layer with higher intermolecular interaction, in the case of Ag/MoS2–GO4.5/ITO RRAM device, resulting in a unipolar resistive switching RRAM behavior with low SET voltage of 1.37 V and high I on/I off of 200 with multilevel resistance states. A space charge limited conduction mechanism is obtained during switching, which may be attributed to the trap states present due to functional groups of GO. The increased number of conduction pathways on account of both Ag+ ions and oxygen vacancies (Vo 2+), participating in the formation of conducting filament, results in higher I on/I off. This is the first report of unipolar Ag/MoS2–GO/ITO RRAM devices, which are particularly important in realizing high density crossbar memories for neuromorphic and in-memory computing as well as enabling flexible 2D nanomaterials-based memristor applications.

Development of Lead‐Free Defect Brownmillerite Perovskite Ceramic LiBiFeMnO5 Solid Solution for Electronic Devices

This article reports the fabrication (synthesis) and characterizations (structural, microstructural topographic surface, dielectric, transport, impedance, current–voltage, and resistive properties) of a complex lead‐free defect perovskite material of composition LiBiFeMnO5. A preliminary structural investigation of the X‐ray diffraction pattern using N‐TREOR09 methods shows monoclinic symmetry. The scanning electron microscopic spectrum examines the sample's microstructural topographic surface, fractal study, and roughness (using the standard ISO25178). The analysis of Maxwell–Wagner dielectric dispersion, relaxation, and transport mechanisms is investigated utilizing dielectric, impedance, and conductivity spectrum accumulated within the experimental frequency of (1 kHz–1 MHz) at different temperatures (30–500 °C). A nonoverlapping small polaron tunneling conduction mechanism and correlated barrier hopping mechanism in the material have helped to understand its conduction phenomena. The Ohmic and space–charge limited conduction mechanisms are investigated by the slope of the logarithmic electric field (E) and current density (J). The thermistor constant (β) is determined to be 1982.87. The temperature coefficient of resistance is found to be −0.00419, which may be suitable for negative temperature coefficient thermistors, sensors, and other related devices.

Improvement of switching uniformity in TiO2-based resistive random access memory with graphene oxide embedded film

TiO2-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices has the potential to fabricating nonvolatile memory applications. However, the memories based on TiO2 have severe problems like large resistive switching parameter fluctuations, poor cycling endurance and so on, which can be a limitation of the device in practical applications. Graphene oxide (GO) is a novel material that has attracted much attention and is often applied to enhance the performance of memories due to its own special properties. In this work, two types of bilayer structure based on TiO2 for RRAM devices were fabricated. The significant improvement in uniformity of operating voltages and high HRS/LRS ratio of the TiO2-based RRAM were realized by inserting a two-dimensional GO film between TiO2 and FTO. The presence of the GO film would prevent the ion exchange between the electrodes and the switching layer as well as its insulating properties. The conduction mechanisms of all the devices in low and high resistance states were dominant by the Ohmic conduction mechanism and the space charge limited conduction mechanism, respectively. This research manifests the promising potential of two-dimensional GO embedded layer for improving resistive switching performance of RRAMs.

Defect controlled space charge limited conduction in CdS nanostructured sandwich structure

A defect induced space charge limited conduction mechanism in PVP capped CdS, CdS:Mn and CdS/ZnS nanostructured films has been discussed in this research paper. XRD confirms the hexagonal structure for core CdS and CdS:Mn nanostructure and a mixed type structure for CdS:Mn and CdS/ZnS core–shell nanostructure which agrees with HRTEM measurement. The optical properties shows average band gap around 2.3 eV. The current–voltage (I-V) characteristics of Cu/Film/Cu sandwich exhibit nearly ohmic behaviour at low bias, while at high it become trap induced space-charged limited conduction (SCLC), followed by trap free square law. A quantitative assessment has been done analysing the SCLC mechanism. The shallow traps owing to Mn doping and shelling, found within 0.15 eV to 0.20 eV may exponentially distributed above the electron Fermi level 0.24 eV. The free carrier density, total trap density, trap cross-section, escape frequency are estimated and co-related to growth.

High performance low power multilevel oxide based RRAM devices based on TiOxNy/Ga2O3 hybrid structure

In this study, the resistive memory devices with Ag/TiOxNy/Pt structure and Ag/TiOxNy/Ga2O3/Pt structure are fabricated. The results showed that they exhibit typical resistive behaviors as well as excellent cycling and retention characteristics (>104 s). Especially, the double-layer device with Ga2O3 layer exhibits superior resistive behavior, which has a larger storage window (ON/OFF ratio >105), a smaller set voltage (0.17 V) and a reset voltage (−0.057 V), and lower power consumption (21.7, 0.17 μW) compared with the single-layer device. Furthermore, the Ag/TiOxNy/Ga2O3/Pt device demonstrates ultraviolet light (UV-365 nm)-dependent resistance state (RS), which is advantageous for multilevel memory cells. As the intensity of UV light increases, eight high resistance state (HRS) levels are produced. Finally, the conductive mechanism for both device structures is discussed, and it is found that the conductive filaments mechanism dominates in the low resistance state. However, for the HRS, the single-layer TiOxNy device is dominated by the space charge-limited conduction mechanism, and the double-layer TiOxNy/Ga2O3 device is dominated by the Schottky emission mechanism.

Development of a lead-free colossal dielectric material barium bismuth ferrous oxide for electronic devices

Ceramic materials are promising for the ever-increasing demand in next-generation electronic devices. In this regard, we report the development and characterizations (structural, microstructural surface, dielectric, transport, impedance, resistive and current-voltage properties) of a novel complex material Ba3Bi2Fe2O9. Preliminary investigation of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows the dual phase nature (cubic and tetragonal phase). The analysis of the Williamson-Hall plot illustrates the average crystallite size and micro-lattice strain are 91.37 nm and 0.002, respectively. The scanning electron microscopic spectrum examines the microstructural surface interface analysis, fractal study and topographic roughness (using the standard ISO25178). The analysis of Maxwell-Wagner dielectric dispersion, relaxation, and transport mechanisms are investigated utilizing dielectric, impedance, and conductivity spectrum accumulated within the experimental frequency (1 kHz–1 MHz) and temperature (298 K–373 K) range. The energy band of intrinsic and ionization regions with different frequencies (1 kHz and 10 kHz) indicates the semiconducting behavior of the material. The presence of non-Ohmic and space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanisms is investigated by the varistor constant β1 and β2. The thermistor constant (β) is determined to be 1683.13, and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is −0.00903, which may be suitable for wearable NTC thermistors and other related device applications.

Investigation of the structural, surface topographical, fractal, capacitive, and electrical properties of a defect brownmillerite perovskite material KBiFeMnO5 for electronic devices.

This article reports the development and characterizations (structural, surface topographical, fractal, dielectric, transport, impedance, resistive, and current-voltage properties) of a defect brownmillerite material KBiFeMnO5. Preliminary investigation of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern with the Monte Carlo technique with McMaille 4.0 shows monoclinic symmetry having lattice parameters: a = 8.261 Å, b = 8.251 Å, c = 7.524 Å, and β = 108.58°. The analysis of the Williamson-Hall plot illustrates the average crystallite size and micro-lattice strain are 124.6 nm and 0.002, respectively. The scanning electron microscopic image examines the microstructural surface topography, fractal analysis, and surface roughness (using the standard of ISO25178) of the material. Maxwell-Wagner dielectric dispersion, relaxation, and transport mechanisms are investigated utilizing dielectric, impedance, and conductivity spectra accumulated within the experimental frequency (1 kHz to 1 MHz) and temperature (25-500 °C) ranges. The energy band of an intrinsic region with a 1 MHz frequency indicates the semiconducting behavior of the material. The logarithmic current density and electric field are used to investigate the presence of ohmic and space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanisms. The thermistor constant (β) is determined to be 4633.86, and the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) is -0.00322, which may be suitable for high-temperature NTC thermistors and other related device applications.

Unveiling the red electroluminescence in LSMO-SRO thin film heterostructures

Herein, intense red electroluminescence (674 nm) in a La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(LSMO)-SrRuO3(SRO) thin films heterostructure obtained by RF-magnetron sputtering is reported for the first time. This novel phenomenon may open a new door in the field of optoelectronics and new generation devices based on multiferroic heterostructure. The structural properties were analyzed using grazing incidence x-ray diffraction demonstrating a rhombohedral structure for LSMO with (024) preferential orientation and an orthorhombic structure for SRO films with (121) preferential orientation. Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results demonstrated a mix of phases present in LSMO thin films. The thickness analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in cross section and the thickness was found to be 123 nm and 49 nm for LSMO and SRO, respectively. XPS analysis for LSMO revealed that point defects associate to Mn cations and oxygen vacancies modify the total electrical conductivity and due to Mott transitions, suggest a p-type semiconductor behavior. For the SRO film, the XPS analysis demonstrated a change in the stoichiometry of the film surface, which provides a large amount of oxygen vacancies indicating a metal oxide transition with effects that involve multiple degrees of freedom (charge, spin, and lattice). The electrical behavior observed in the heterostructure corresponds to a metal-semiconductor junction showing a Schottky conduction mechanism in positive bias and a space charge limited conduction mechanism in negative bias. The red electroluminescence effect is discussed considering both a radiative recombination process occurred at the interface due to the presence of Mn2+ ions and an energy transfer mechanism assisted by the migration of the high amount of oxygen vacancies present in the interface.

Charge carrier transport mechanism in plasma polymerized methyl acrylate thin films

Plasma-polymerized methyl acrylate thin films (PPMA) of thicknesses 115 to 290 nm were prepared using a capacitively coupled glow discharge plasma reactor. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of the Aluminum/PPMA/Aluminum sandwich configuration were studied between 0.1 and 75 V over the temperature region from 298 K to 398 K for various thicknesses of PPMA thin films. J-V curves show that the conduction current follows Ohm's law in the low voltage area, but that in the high voltage range, the behavior is attributed to be space charge-limited conduction (SCLC) in PPMA thin films. The free carrier density, the trap density and carrier mobility have been determined to be around 1.77 × 1023 to 5.86 × 1023 m−3, 2.84 × 1024 to 3.77 × 1024 m−3, and 3.87 × 10−18 to 69.7 × 10−18 m2V−1s−1, respectively for various thicknesses of PPMA thin films. For the higher temperature and lower temperature areas, the activation energies were found in the range from 0.60 to 0.84 eV and 0.28 to 0.40 eV, respectively for 5 V in Ohmic region and from 0.61 to 0.98 eV and 0.27 to 0.34 eV, respectively for 60 V in SCLC (Non-Ohmic) region, respectively. It is observed that SCLC mechanism in PPMA thin films is dominated by a single dominant trap level/discrete trap level distribution. The PPMA thin films are promising candidates in manufacturing optoelectronic devices.

Resistive switching characteristics of MnO2-based thin film for transparent non-volatile ReRAM

The present study covers the fabrication of indium tin oxide (ITO)/manganese dioxide (MnO2)/ITO capacitor-based transparent resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device. The ITO/MnO2/ITO device exhibits 80 % transparency in the visible region along with steady bipolar resistive switching characteristics. The conduction mechanism investigation reveals that the current in low resistance state (LRS) is governed by Ohmic conduction. However, the dominance of trap-controlled space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism in high resistance state (HRS) was observed. The resistive switching phenomenon in ITO/MnO2/ITO device was caused due to the formation and rupture of conduction filament via electron trapping and de-trapping in oxide-related traps (oxygen vacancies). In terms of reliability, the MnO2-based device exhibits good endurance up to 104 cycles and long retention for 104 s at room-temperature as well as at 85 °C. Cumulative probability distribution shows resistance ratio of 103 between LRS and HRS, which is sufficient to read memory states. These outcomes suggest that the ITO/MnO2/ITO-based transparent ReRAM could be a futuristic see-through electronic device for artificial intelligence (AI) application.

Investigation of structural, topological, and electrical properties of scheelite strontium molybdate for electronic devices

This article describes the synthesis (solid-state reaction) and characterizations of a scheelite strontium molybdate. The consistency of lattice parameters by N-TREOR09 and the Le-Bail Rietveld refinement method supports the tetragonal crystal system. The spectrum of the pair distribution function (PDF) depicts the orientations of atoms within a tetragonal symmetry. The Williamson-Hall plot examines the average crystallite size (86 nm) and micro-lattice strain (0.00091). The scanning electron microscopic image, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra, and elemental mapping confirm the uniform and isotropic characteristics of the synthesized material, purity and compactness, and topographic roughness according to ISO25178 standards. The investigation of dielectric, impedance, and conductivity spectra confirms the presence of Maxwell-Wagner dielectric dispersion, relaxation, and influential transport phenomena across a broad spectrum of experimental frequencies (ranging from 1 kHz to 1 MHz) and temperatures (from 25 °C to 500 °C). The observed temperature-dependent resistance characteristics validate that the prepared material is well-suited for applications involving PTC thermistors, sensors, and other related devices. The scaling properties of the modulus data provide evidence for a non-Debye relaxation mechanism. The values of the varistor constant, β1, β2, and β3, which are 1.414, 2.362, and 9.654, respectively, indicate the existence of Ohmic conduction, trap-limited space charge limited conduction (SCLC), and trap-filled SCLC mechanisms suitable for electronic devices.

Different reverse leakage current transport mechanisms of planar Schottky barrier diodes(SBDs) on sapphire and GaN substrate

The effects of different substrates on the off-state leakage current in gallium nitride (GaN) planar diodes are experimentally demonstrated and studied by analyzing temperature-dependent current–voltage characteristics. The two devices exhibit different leakage mechanisms despite being subjected to the same process conditions. The device with a sapphire substrate shows a more intricate leakage mechanism, implying the presence of additional leakage channels compared to the device with free-standing substrates. The electrical leakage characteristics in the planar GaN-on-sapphire device (referred to as utemp-SBD) and GaN substrate device (referred to as usub-SBD) Schottky barrier diodes (SBD) can be described by two distinct processes as the reverse bias gradually increases: utemp-SBD go through the thermionic emission (TE), variable range hopping (VRH), Frenkel–Poole (FP) emission and space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) model; The leakage conduction mechanism of usub-SBD include TE, VRH, and FP emission mechanisms. It is noteworthy that in device 1, there is a rapid increase in leakage current within the voltage range of −36 to −40 V, primarily driven by the SCLC mechanism. This effect arises due to the presence of intrinsic traps in GaN grown on a heterogeneous substrate. Additionally, in the voltage range of −7 to −50 V (348 K to 448 K), the leakage mechanism shifts from FP emission to the VRH model, possibly due to variations in the Schottky barrier height.This study provides an in-depth analysis of the leakage mechanisms observed on different substrates and offers valuable insights for the design of planar gate transistors to minimize or avoid the occurrence of leakage channels.

Non-volatile resistive switching behavior and time series analysis of Ag/PVA-graphene oxide/Ag device

Non-volatile memory devices have been getting significant attention from researchers worldwide in recent years due to their application in resistive random access memory and neuromorphic computing. Here, we have fabricated polyvinyl alcohol-graphene oxide (PVA-GO) composite as an active material for the resistive switching with different concentrations of GO (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5 wt. % GO solution) dispersed in 5 wt. % PVA matrix in a 2:1 volume ratio. We demonstrate the non-volatile forming free resistive switching properties of Ag/PVA-GO/Ag devices. Structural properties of PVA-GO composites are established from the x-ray diffraction pattern, which indicates the complete dispersion of GO inside the PVA matrix. The Ag/PVA-GO-0.1 wt. %/Ag device shows better bipolar resistive switching at VSET ∼ 0.4 V and VRESET at ∼−0.8 V. This device indicates well-resolved two distinct states at a read voltage of 0.1 V in endurance and retention measurements. The fabricated device switches successfully tested for 2.5 × 103 cycles and retains its state for 3.36 × 103 s without any observable degradation. Furthermore, the non-volatile retention property was modeled using time series analysis. For this, Holt–Winter's exponential smoothing technique was utilized. Additionally, the charge–flux linkage characteristic shows the double-valued function, and time domain–charge and time domain–flux show asymmetric behaviors. The electrical conduction mechanism exhibits ohmic behavior in the entire region of the low resistance state and the lower voltage region of the high resistance state. In the high-voltage region of the high resistance state, the space charge-limited conduction mechanism is observed. The resistive switching behavior is explained with the help of an appropriate model.

Modification of interface properties of Au/n-GaN Schottky junction by rare-earth oxide Nd2O3 as an interlayer and its microstructural characterization

We demonstrate the impact of rare-earth Nd2O3 interlayer on the electrical properties of Au/n-GaN Schottky junction (SJ), the Au/Nd2O3/n-type GaN metal/interlayer/semiconductor (MIS) junctions were prepared and characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were employed to analyze the structural properties of the deposited Nd2O3 films on the n-GaN surface. Results confirmed that the Nd2O3 layer was formed on the n-GaN surface. The MIS junction electrical results are compared with the Au/n-GaN Schottky junction (SJ) results. Electrical outcomes demonstrated that the MIS junction revealed a good rectification behaviuor with a higher barrier height (BH) (0.66 eV) than the SJ (0.59 eV), which indicates the BH is manipulated by the Nd2O3 interlayer. The I–V, Cheung's, ΨS-V and α(V)–V plots were employed to derive BH and determined that values were similar to one another, demonstrating that the techniques used here are consistent and valid. The capacitance-frequency (C-f) and conductance-frequency (G-f) properties of SJ and MIS junction are assessed in the range of 1 kHz-1 MHz and results demonstrate that the capacitance and conductance are sturdily reliant on frequency. The estimated interface state density (NSS) of the MIS junction is less than the SJ which shows that the Nd2O3 interlayer was responsible to reduces the NSS. Results demonstrate that ohmic and space charge limited conduction mechanisms in the forward bias of the SJ and MIS junctions. Experimental outcomes established that the Schottky emission directs the reverse current in the SJ. Though, the Poole-Frenkel emission ruled reverse current in the lower bias, while the Schottky emission governs reverse current in the higher bias region of the MIS junction. Findings demonstrate that the Nd2O3 layer could be appropriate for the development of MIS/MOS devices.

Impact of Annealing Temperature on Electrical Properties of Sol-gel Ba0.90Gd0.10TiO3 Thin Films

Ba0.90Gd0.10TiO3 (BGT) thin films have been fabricated in MFM configuration via sol-gel technique at the different annealing temperature. The dielectric parameters of the films are measured using Impedance Analyzer as a function of frequency. It is found that, at frequency 1 kHz, the measured value of e increases from 57 to 264 as the annealing temperature increases from 600 °C to 900 °C, which is correlated to the improved crystallinity and grain size increment. The ferroelectric hysteresis of the films is analyzed using Sawyer-Tower circuit that shows an enhancement for the ferroelectric properties with annealing temperature, which is also confirmed using C-V characteristics. The leakage current of the films is evaluated via Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer (SPA), which shows that at a certain electric field, the leakage current density increases as the annealing temperature increases, that is attributed to the crystallinity and grain size improvement. The conduction mechanism of the films is deeply investigated through different models to find out that the space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism is the controlling conduction process.

Effect of synthesis temperature on the charge transport properties of poly(3-methylthiophene) devices

Low temperature-dependent I-V measurement was adopted to investigate an insight into the effect of synthesis temperature on the field and temperature-dependent charge transport properties of electrochemically polymerized poly(3-methylthiophene) devices. Devices having different doping levels were fabricated at two different temperatures, one at room temperature (25oC) and another at a lower temperature (5oC). The transport mechanism in the devices were studied in the temperature range 40 K to 300 K. Our studies revealed that trap controlled space charge limited conduction (TCSCLC) mechanism dominated the transport mechanism at higher temperature(T>200K) and changed to field dependent mobility model at lower temperature(T<200K). It was observed that the synthesis temperature influenced the transport parameters. Devices prepared at low temperature showed an increase in resistivity and a corresponding decrease in the charge carrier mobility compared to those prepared at high temperature. Moreover, the distribution of the trap states in the devices was also affected by the synthesis temperature, with devices fabricated at low temperature exhibiting a wider trap state distribution.

Thermionic emission assisted charge conduction mechanisms across LaMnO3 / La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 interface of manganite thin film structure

In the present communication, temperature dependence of resistive switching (RS) behavior across chemically grown LaMnO3/La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LMO/LCMO) interface have been discussed by employing various theoretical approaches and mechanisms. Temperature dependent RS behavior of LMO/LCMO interface highlights impactful switching between high resistance state (HRS) and low resistance state (LRS) under reverse bias mode through an active role of depletion region. Trapping–detrapping processes assisted charge conduction has been identified as a source of RS nature of LMO/LCMO interface. Thermionic emission model and space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism have been employed to understand the charge conduction and charge transport across LMO/LCMO interface. Present structure of Ag/LMO/LCMO/Ag has also been investigated for possible retention and endurance behaviors under different external parameters which verify the stability, reliability, reproducibility, non–volatile nature and applicability of LMO/LCMO interface.

Resistive Switching in CsPbBr3 (0D)/MoS2 (2D) Heterojunction System: Trap-Controlled Space Charge Limited Transport Mechanism

Electronic phenomena at the interfaces of mixed-dimensional systems are interesting as well as intriguing because of the distinctly differing electronic states’ spectra on both sides of the interface. In this work, we examine one such 0D/2D interface system involving two materials of great current interest, namely, a halide perovskite CsPbBr3 (CPB QDs) (0D) and a 2D chalcogenide MoS2. The choice of the materials was also based on their favorable band alignment for the targeted application. By employing simple solution-based synthetic protocols, we have found that an electronically active interface is rendered, which exhibits an impressive and robust resistive switching characteristic. The ratio of resistances in high resistance state (HRS) and low resistance state (LRS) of ∼12 is obtained, and the same is retained over 100 cycles for which the tests were performed. On the basis of detailed multiple characterizations of the materials and interfaces, we show that the memristor functionality emanates from the trap-controlled space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism.

Resistive switching behavior in ZnO:Ca thin films deposited by a pulsed laser deposition technique

Calcium-doped ZnO (CZO) nanopowders were synthesized using the sol–gel method. The structural characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the analysis reveals that our samples are crystalized in a wurtzite hexagonal structure. The morphological properties and the chemical composition of the nanoparticles were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The obtained powders are stoichiometric with crystallites in a nanometric scale aggregated in micrometric particles. Then, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique was used to grow Ca-doped ZnO thin films with different doping concentrations (1, 3, and 5%), on p-type Si substrates. The Ca doping effect on the electrical properties of the CZO films was investigated by current–voltage characteristics. A resistive switching (RS) effect was observed in the ITO/ZnO:Ca/Au structures. The RS behavior is dependent on the Ca doping concentration. The charge transport mechanisms of the devices were studied. In the positive bias voltage region, the transport is dominated by Ohmic and space-charge limited conduction mechanisms under low and high electric fields, respectively.