Effect of conductive atomic force microscope tip loading force on tip-sample interface electronic characteristics: Unipolar to bipolar resistive switching transition

This study shows that tip loading force in conductive atomic force microscope (CAFM) is an important parameter determining electronic properties of tip-sample interface. At higher tip loading force, electrochemical breakdown of moisture layer and redox reactions cause changeover from unipolar to bipolar switching in Pt tip-Cu2O junction. Change in forming voltage due to tip force (and thus contact area) is opposite to that observed in micro range due to electric field enhancement effect. Results of the present study are important in studying filamentary conduction, nanometric mapping of charge carriers at the interface of complex oxide heterostructures, and other studies by CAFM.

[1]  Jun Yeong Seok,et al.  Surface redox induced bipolar switching of transition metal oxide films examined by scanning probe microscopy , 2011 .

[2]  I. Baek,et al.  Write Current Reduction in Transition Metal Oxide Based Resistance Change Memory , 2008 .

[3]  Cohen,et al.  High-pressure electrical conductivity measurements in the copper oxides. , 1989, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[4]  E. Bellingeri,et al.  Modulation of resistance switching in Au/Nb:SrTiO3 Schottky junctions by ambient oxygen , 2012 .

[5]  Daniele Ielmini,et al.  Switching of nanosized filaments in NiO by conductive atomic force microscopy , 2012 .

[6]  C. Frisbie,et al.  Conducting Probe Atomic Force Microscopy: A Characterization Tool for Molecular Electronics , 1999 .

[7]  R. Waser,et al.  Nanoionics-based resistive switching memories. , 2007, Nature materials.

[8]  Bharat Bhushan,et al.  Theoretical investigation of the distance dependence of capillary and van der Waals forces in scanning force microscopy , 2000 .

[9]  Rainer Waser,et al.  Nanoscale resistive switching in SrTiO3 thin films , 2007 .

[10]  Rainer Waser,et al.  The influence of copper top electrodes on the resistive switching effect in TiO2 thin films studied by conductive atomic force microscopy , 2009 .

[11]  V. Singh,et al.  Electrical and optical properties of Sn doped CuInO2 thin films: Conducting atomic force microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry studies , 2009 .

[12]  B. Kahng,et al.  Multilevel unipolar resistance switching in TiO2 thin films , 2009 .

[13]  B. Mehta,et al.  Conducting atomic force microscopy studies of InN nanocomposite layers having conducting and nonconducting phases , 2007 .

[14]  Nini Pryds,et al.  Resistance switching at the interface of LaAlO3/SrTiO3 , 2010 .

[15]  J. Brugger,et al.  CAFM investigations of filamentary conduction in Cu2O ReRAM devices fabricated using stencil lithography technique , 2012, Nanotechnology.

[16]  B. Akhremitchev,et al.  Adhesion Forces in Conducting Probe Atomic Force Microscopy , 2003 .

[17]  Robert P. H. Chang,et al.  Coherent island formation of Cu_2O films grown by chemical vapor deposition on MgO(110) , 2001 .

[18]  D. F. Ogletree,et al.  Observation of proportionality between friction and contact area at the nanometer scale , 1999 .