Resistive Switching Conducting Filament Electroformation with an Electrothermal Phase Field Method

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phase field simulation approach for modeling the formation and evolution of conducting filaments in resistive switching thin films, aligning well with experimental nanostructure observations.

Contribution

It presents a novel, self-consistent phase field method that does not rely on predefined filament structures, capturing the stochastic dynamics of filament formation.

Findings

Simulation results match experimental nanostructures

Method accurately reproduces filament evolution dynamics

No need for predefined filament assumptions

Abstract

A phase field method self-consistently coupled to continuum heat transport and charge conservation is used to simulate conducting filament dynamical evolution and nanostructure of electroformed resistive switching thin films. Our method does not require a pre-defined idealized conducting filament, as previous methods do, instead treating its dynamical evolution as a stochastic diffuse interface problem subject to a variational principle. Our simulation results agree well with available experimental observations, correctly reproducing electroformed conducting filament nanostructure exhibited by a variety of resistive switching thin films.