Resistive switching behaviour in ZrO₂-CNT nanocomposite film

Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) devices are being regarded as very promising choices for the future of non-volatile memory technology. The subject comprises crucial components like as material engineering, device architectural optimization, switching mechanisms, and improvements in reliability. This study examines the resistive switching capabilities of a device made from a ZrO₂-CNT nanocomposite. The device was constructed utilizing a trilayer structure consisting of FTO/ZrO₂-CNT/Ag, with the ZrO₂-CNT film being fabricated by the spray coating technique. Incorporating 1wt% CNT into the ZrO₂ matrix reduces the bias voltage needed for resistive switching and approximately doubles the resistance ratio between HRS and LRS. The use of higher weight percentages of carbon nanotubes (CNT) negatively impacts the switching properties. The temperature dependence of resistance of ZrO₂ and ZrO₂-1wt% CNT devices reveals that in ZrO₂, O₂ vacancies align to create conducting filaments. On the other hand, in the ZrO₂-CNT device, both vacancies of O₂ atoms and CNTs contribute to the production of conducting filaments. Inclusion of higher weight percentages of carbon nanotubes (CNT) leads to the formation of permanent conduction paths, which are electrical shorts and results in the loss of the switching capability.