Resistive switching characteristics of polycrystalline SrTiO3 films

Strontium titanate (STO) thin films 90 nm in thickness were grown on a Pt substrate through atomic layer deposition (ALD). The as-deposited ALD STO grown with an ALD cycle ratio of 1:1 (Sr:Ti) was in an amorphous phase, and annealing at 800 °C in air crystallized the films into the perovskite phase. This phase change was confirmed by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The as-deposited ALD STO exhibited no discernible switching mechanism, whereas unipolar switching behavior was reproducibly observed with a high resistance ratio (108–109) and strict separation of the set/reset voltages and currents in the annealed ALD STO. Mechanisms for charge transport in both the low- and high-resistance states and for resistive switching in the annealed ALD STO are also proposed.