Resistance Switching Behavior of a Perhydropolysilazane-Derived SiO_x-Based Memristor

SiOx is an important dielectric material layer for resistive switching memory due to its compatibility with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Here we propose a solution process for a SiOx dielectric layer based on perhydropolysilazane (PHPS). A series of SiOx layers with different compositions are prepared by controlling the conversion process from PHPS, then the resistance switching behaviors of typical Ag/SiOx/Au memristors are analyzed. The effect of oxygen vacancies and Si-OH groups on the formation and rupture of Ag conducting filaments (CFs) in the SiOx layer was thoroughly investigated. Ultimately, we achieved a high-performance memristor with a coefficient of variation (σ/μ) as low as 0.16 ± 0.08 and an on/off ratio as high as 106, which can rival the performance of the SiOx memristors based on the high-vacuum and high-cost vapor deposition methods. These findings demonstrate the high promise of the PHPS-derived SiOx dielectric layer in the field of memristors.