Bipolar resistive switching on TiO2/Au by conducting Atomic Force Microscopy

Abstract

In this work we present a Conducting Atomic Force Microscopy (CAFM) study of TiO2 thin films that display bipolar resistive switching behavior. Samples were synthesized by reactive sputtering after a lithography process to obtain the bottom Au electrodes on a SiO2/Si substrate. Pt and Pt-Ir coated tips were used for CAFM measurements. We compare these results with I-Vcharacteristics of the same device with Al top electrodes in a crossbar pattern. We demonstrate the existence of two stable resistive states and the bipolar nature of the switching through current-voltage CAFM measurements, discussing the possible transport and switching mechanisms.