Colossal electroresistive properties of CSD grown Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 films for nonvolatile memory applications

Colossal electroresistance effects upon application of electric field in perovskite oxide Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (PCMO) thin films, which is a promising candidate for resistance random access memory (RRAM) device have been investigated. Nanocrystalline PCMO films were grown on SiO2 substrates by chemical solution deposition and crystallized at 700 deg C under different gas atmospheres. Four terminal current voltage characteristics of Ag/PCMO/Ag planar geometry exhibited a sharp transition from a low resistance state (LRS) to a high resistance state (HRS) with a resistance switching ratio of as high as 1100% at room temperature. Nonvolatility and high retention was confirmed by electric pulse induced resistive switching measurements. The resistance switching ratios were found to depend on the annealing conditions, suggesting an interaction between the nonlattice oxygen and oxygen vacancies and/or the cationic vacancy. (author)