Large 1/f noise of unipolar resistance switching and its percolating nature

TL;DR

This study examines the large 1/f noise in unipolar resistance switching Pt/NiO/Pt capacitors, revealing a percolation-based behavior and implications for memory device stability.

Contribution

It demonstrates the significant 1/f noise increase during resistance switching and links it to percolation theory, highlighting challenges for memory device reliability.

Findings

Voltage fluctuation increases by five orders of magnitude during switching

Resistance fluctuation follows a power law with exponent 1.6 at 100 K

Enhanced noise near switching voltage and higher temperatures

Abstract

We investigated the 1/f noise of Pt/NiO/Pt capacitors that show unipolar resistance switching. When they were switched from the low to high resistance states, the power spectral density of the voltage fluctuation was increased by approximately five orders of magnitude. At 100 K, the relative resistance fluctuation, SR/R2, in the low resistance state displayed a power law dependence on the resistance R with exponent w = 1.6. This behavior can be explained by percolation theory; however, at higher temperatures or near the switching voltage, SR/R2 becomes enhanced further. This large 1/f noise can be therefore an important problem in the development of resistance random access memory devices.