Modeling of conducting bridge evolution in bipolar vanadium oxide-based resistive switching memory

We investigate the resistive switching characteristics of a Cu/VO_x/W structure. The VO_x film is deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering on the Cu electrode as a dielectric layer. The prepared VO_x sample structure shows reproducible bipolar resistive switching characteristics with ultra-low switching voltage and good cycling endurance. A modified physical model is proposed to elucidate the typical switching behavior of the vanadium oxide-based resistive switching memory with a sudden resistance transition, and the self-saturation of reset current as a function of compliance current is observed in the test, which is attributed to the growth pattern of the conducting filaments. Additionally, the related conducting mechanism is discussed in detail.