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Nanoscale characterization of resistive switching using advanced conductive atomic force microscopy based setups

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Abstract

Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) is a powerful tool for studying resistive switching at the nanoscale. By applying sequences of I-V curves and biased scans the write, erase and read operations in a dielectric can be simulated in situ. CAFM can be used to monitor the inhomogeneities produced by a previous device level stress, for example conductive filaments formation and disruption. In this case the removal of the top electrode may be a problem. One attractive solution is to etch the top electrode using the CAFM tip for dielectric surface analysis, and one may also etch the dielectric to observe the shape of the filament in three dimensions. The genuine combination of electrical and mechanical stresses via CAFM tip can lead to additional setups, such as pressure modulated conductance microscopy. In the future, new experiments and CAFM related techniques may be designed to deep into the knowledge of resistive switching.

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Acknowledgements

M. L. acknowledges support from the Young 1000 Global Talent Recruitment Program of the Ministry of Education of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants no. 61502326, 41550110223, 11661131002), the Jiangsu Government (grant no. BK20150343), the Ministry of Finance of China (grant no. SX21400213) and the Young 973 National Program of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (grant no. 2015CB932700). The Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, the Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions are also acknowledged.

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  1. Institute of Functional Nano& Soft Materials, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Mario Lanza

  2. IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001, Heverlee (Leuven), Belgium

    Umberto Celano

  3. National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, School of Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

    Feng Miao

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Lanza, M., Celano, U. & Miao, F. Nanoscale characterization of resistive switching using advanced conductive atomic force microscopy based setups. J Electroceram 39, 94–108 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10832-017-0082-1

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