Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 March 2013
The role of field-induced electrochemical migration oxygen ions in switching behaviour of LSMO films is established through I-V measurements under various top electrode device configurations. We report observation of bubbling, mechanical damage and delamination of top electrode in LSMO-based large area RRAM devices. Polarity dependence of this phenomenon, as observed in-situ during electrical measurements, reveals O-evolution to be the likely cause for such electrode damage. The effect of this phenomenon on switching behaviour of devices with reactive as well as inert top electrodes is presented. To mitigate the electrode integrity issue, we explore the use of conducting oxide electrodes on the active LSMO film.