Resistive switching devices: Switching power and operation control

Resistive switching devices based on metal oxides are promising candidates for non-volatile memories and programmable logic applications. They can be repeatedly switched between a high-resistance state (OFF) and a low-resistance state (ON) by electrical forces, and both states are nonvolatile. Their simple two-terminal structure and highly scalable size may enable cross-bar architectures to achieve extremely high device density. They are usually made in a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure and can be integrated in CMOS. Various metal oxides have demonstrated resistive switching characteristics; however, the exact switching mechanisms are still not clear. This paper analyzes switching power and operation control of these devices, which helps to explain the control of ON-state resistance and reset current by set current limit.