Resistance switching in electrodeposited polycrystalline Fe3O4 films

Resistance random access memory (RRAM) is an emerging nonvolatile memory that offers advantages of scalability, fast switching, and low voltages. Magnetite, Fe3O4, has been shown to exhibit resistance switching in nanoscale architectures such as superlattices. Here, we show that electrodeposited polycrystalline films of Fe3O4 exhibit multistate resistance switching. Experiments suggest that the insulator-to-metal transition may be facilitated by the presence of a thin nano-crystalline layer which is critical for resistance switching to occur at lower bias. We also show that the switching behavior can be tuned through the applied deposition potential. The multiple resistance states accessible in these simple architectures open up new possibilities for multi-bit data storage and retrieval.

► Electrodeposited polycrystalline films of magnetite exhibit resistance switching.
► Both low-to-high and high-to-low resistance switching is observed.
► The switching behavior can be tuned through the film deposition potential.
► A nanocrystalline layer of magnetite appears to be critical for switching.
► The high-to-low resistance switching appears to be driven by Joule heating.