Dimensional quantization effects in the thermodynamic of conductive filaments

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dimensional quantization influences the physical properties of conductive filaments, revealing effects like positive charge accumulation and conductance quantization, which impact device stability and switching behavior.

Contribution

It introduces the concept that dimensional quantization causes positive charge buildup in constricted filaments, affecting multiple electronic device phenomena.

Findings

Constricted filaments acquire a positive charge due to quantization.

Quantization affects local polarization and stability of filaments.

Conductance becomes quantized in the presence of dimensional effects.

Abstract

We consider the physical effects of dimensional quantization in conductive filaments that underlie operations of some modern electronic devices. We show that, as a result of quantization, a sufficiently constricted filament acquires a positive charge. Several applications of this finding include describing the local host material polarization, the stability limit of filament constrictions, equilibrium filament radius, effects of polarity in device switching, and quantization of conductance.