https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2013-40966-4
Regular Article
Mesoscopic resistive switch: non-volatility, hysteresis and negative differential resistance
1
Department of Physics, Loughborough University,
Loughborough
LE11 3TU,
UK
2
Dipartimento di Fisica, Universitá di Camerino,
62032
Camerino,
Italy
3
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories,
1501 Page Mill Road, 94304
California,
USA
4
Department of Physics, University of California,
Davis, One Shields Avenue,
Davis, 95616
California,
USA
5
Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems, Russian Academy of
Sciences, Kosygina
2, 119334
Moscow,
Russia
a
e-mail: s.saveliev@lboro.ac.uk
Received: 30 October 2013
Received in final form: 6 November 2013
Published online: 9 December 2013
We show how a simple model nanoswitch can perform as a memory resistor. Its resistance is determined by electron tunneling through a nanoparticle diffusing around one or more potential minima located between the electrodes in the presence of Joule’s heat dissipation. In the case of a single potential minimum, we observe hysteresis of the resistance at finite applied currents and negative differential resistance. For two (or more) minima the switching mechanism is non-volatile, meaning that the memristor can switch to a resistive state of choice and stay there. Moreover, the noise spectra of the switch exhibit 1/f2 → 1/f crossover, in agreement with recent experimental results.
Key words: Mesoscopic and Nanoscale Systems
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2013