Memristor: Part I—The Underlying Physics and Conduction Mechanism

Memristor switching and observed I-V characteristics are explained using the underlying physics of the device in terms of the formation and rupture of filaments. Three different conduction mechanisms, namely-filament-assisted tunneling current, bulk tunneling current, and currents flowing through low and high conductivity filaments give rise to the total current in memristive systems. Heating of filaments during current conduction may reduce the ROFF/RON ratio of the device by increasing its ON resistance. In case of an organic layer, this issue can be circumvented by suitably increasing the organic layer thickness. Effects of different parameters on lifetime of memristors as resistance-switching random access memory have also been investigated.