Switchable diode effect in oxygen vacancy-modulated SrTiO3 single crystal

• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-017-1179-8
• Publication Date: 2017-08-08T10:57:02Z
• Authors: Xinqiang Pan; Yao Shuai; Chuangui Wu; Wenbo Luo; Xiangyu Sun; Huizhong Zeng; Xiaoyuan Bai; Chaoguan Gong; Ke Jian; Lu Zhang; Hongliang Guo; Benlang Tian; Wanli Zhang
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

SrTiO3 (STO) single crystal wafer was annealed in vacuum, and co-planar metal–insulator–metal structure of Pt/Ti/STO/Ti/Pt were formed by sputtering Pt/Ti electrodes onto the surface of STO after annealing. The forming-free resistive switching behavior with self-compliance property was observed in the sample. The sample showed switchable diode effect, which is explained by a simple model that redistribution of oxygen vacancies (OVs) under the external electric field results in the formation of n–n+ junction or n+–n junction (n donated n-type semiconductor; n+ donated heavily doped n-type semiconductor). The self-compliance property is also interpreted by the formation of n–n+/n+–n junction caused by the migration of the OVs under the electric field.