The conductive mechanisms of a titanium oxide memristor with dopant drift and a tunnel barrier

Nano-scale titanium oxide memristors exhibit complex conductive characteristics, which have already been proved by existing research. One possible reason for this is that more than one mechanism exists, and together they codetermine the conductive behaviors of the memristor. In this paper, we first analyze the theoretical base and conductive process of a memristor, and then propose a compatible circuit model to discuss and simulate the coexistence of the dopant drift and tunnel barrier-based mechanisms. Simulation results are given and compared with the published experimental data to prove the possibility of the coexistence. This work provides a practical model and some suggestions for studying the conductive mechanisms of memristors.

The design and simulation of a titanium oxide memristor-based programmable analog filter in a simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis

In many communication and signal routing applications, it is desirable to have a programmable analog filter. According to this practical demand, we consider the titanium oxide memristor, which is a kind of nano-scale electron device with low power dissipation and nonvolatile memory. Such characteristics could be suitable for designing the desired filter. However, both the non-analytical relation between the memristance and the charges that pass through it, and the changeable V-I characteristics in physical tests make it difficult to accurately set the memristance to the target value. In this paper, the conductive mechanism of the memristor is analyzed, a method of continuously programming the memristance is proposed and simulated in a simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis, and its feasibility and compatibility, both in simu- lations and physical realizations, are demonstrated. This method is then utilized in a first-order active filter as an example to show its applications in programmable filters. This work also provides a practical tool for utilizing memristors as resistance programmable devices.

Characteristics of titanium oxide memristor with coexistence of dopant drift and a tunnel barrier

The recent published experimental data of titanium oxide memristor devices which are tested under the same experi- mental conditions exhibit the strange instability and complexity of these devices. Such undesired characteristics preclude the understanding of the device conductive processes and the memristor-based practical applications. The possibility of the coexistence of dopant drift and tunnel barrier conduction in a memristor provides preliminary explanations for the undesired characteristics. However, current research lacks detailed discussion about the coexistence case. In this paper, dopant drift and tunnel barrier-based theories are first analyzed for studying the relations between parameters and physical variables which affect characteristics of mernristors, and then the influences of each parameter change on the conductive behaviors in the single and coexistence cases of the two mechanisms are simulated and discussed respectively. The simulation results provide further explanations of the complex device conduction. Theoretical methods of eliminating or reducing the coex- istence of the two mechanisms are proposed, in order to increase the stability of the device conduction. This work also provides the support for optimizing the fabrications of memristor devices with excellent performance.