Electrode Dependence of Resistance Switching in NiO Thin Films

Abstract

We report on the resistance switching behavior of NiO thin films grown on Pt bottom electrodes, with top electrodes of Pt, Au and Ni. NiO/Pt films with all the top electrodes show reversible switching from high-resistance state (HRS) to low-resistance state (LRS) and {\it vice versa} during unipolar current-voltage ($I-V$) measurements. The resistance switching ratio of the Au/NiO/Pt structure is much smaller than those of others. The HRS $I-V$ curve of the Au/NiO/Pt structure is linear, while those of Pt/NiO/Pt and Ni/NiO/Pt structures are nonlinear. This result manifests the role of the top electrode material in the resistance switching behavior of the NiO thin films.