Correlation between resistance-change effect in transition-metal oxides and secondary-electron contrast of scanning electron microscope images

Journal Article · Thu Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3638708· OSTI ID:22036728

Kinoshita, K; Kishida, S ^[1]; Yoda, T ^[1]

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1. Department of Information and Electronics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8552 (Japan)

Conductive atomic-force microscopy (C-AFM) writing is attracting attention as a technique for clarifying the switching mechanism of resistive random-access memory by providing a wide area filled with filaments, which can be regarded as one filament with large radius. The writing area on a nickel-oxide (NiO) film formed by conductive atomic-force microscopy was observed by scanning electron microscope, and a correlation between the contrast in a secondary-electron image (SEI) and the resistance written by C-AFM was revealed. In addition, the dependence of the SEI contrast on the beam accelerating voltage (V{sub accel}) suggests that the resistance-change effect occurs near the surface of the NiO film. As for the effects of electron irradiation and vacuum annealing on the C-AFM writing area, it was shown that the resistance-change effect is caused by exchange of oxygen with the atmosphere at the surface of the NiO film. This result suggests that the low-resistance and high-resistance areas are, respectively, p-type Ni{sub 1+{delta}}O ({delta} < 0) and insulating (stoichiometric) or n-type Ni{sub 1+{delta}}O ({delta}{>=} 0).

• OSTI ID: 22036728
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 110, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ANNEALING
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
CORRELATIONS
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
FILAMENTS
IMAGES
IRRADIATION
NICKEL OXIDES
OXYGEN
RADIATION EFFECTS
RANDOMNESS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
STOICHIOMETRY
SURFACES
THIN FILMS