New insights into the dynamics of tantalum oxide memristors

Tantalum oxide is one of the candidate materials for the fabrication of future nano-scale memristor-based memory cells. A great deal of studies is thus currently devoted to gain a thorough understanding of the mechanisms lying... [ view full abstract ]

Tantalum oxide is one of the candidate materials for the fabrication of future
nano-scale memristor-based memory cells. A great deal of studies is thus currently devoted to gain a thorough understanding of the mechanisms lying behind the nonlinear behaviour of memristor devices based upon this material. We have recently discovered a new dynamical phenomenon in a tantalum oxide memristor fabricated at Hewlett Packard Labs: under DC as well as AC periodic stimuli the device history, embedded in the initial condition, is progressively erased, and, a unique memristor behaviour appears at steady state. The coexistence of nonvolatile memory capability and input-induced memory loss in this nanoscale device is an example of the inherently complex dynamics emerging in memristors. Exploiting these peculiar nonlinear behaviors new forms of computation may be developed.
In this work we present new unconventional investigations providing further insights into the mechanisms behind the emergence of complex phenomena in the tantalum oxide nano-scale device. The results of this research may inspire the development of a novel approach to the modeling of memristors.