Eur. Phys. J. B (2013) 86: 501
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

Abstract

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.