Investigation of resistive switching in YMnO3 thin films grown by PLD technique.

Multiferroic materials are promising candidates for creation of a new generation of memory devices. This work investigates electrical properties of YMnO3 thin films, reported as resistive switching material. Thin YMnO3 films (<200 nm) were grown by pulsed laser deposition on Si substrates with Pt bottom electrode at 800°C and varying partial pressure of oxygen. Characterization of as-grown samples by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy was followed by determination of electrical properties of films in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration. Results indicate the unipolar resistive switching of all of YMnO3 films with high resistance ratio (>10000) of high over low resistance state. Switching mechanism is ascribed to the structural transitions within the film upon applied current.