High-throughput characterization of metal electrode performance for electric-field-induced resistance switching in metal/Pr_0.7Ca _0.3MnO₃/metal structures

A study was conducted to perform high-throughput electrode exploration to determine the appropriate structure of resistance-switching memory devices. Farication of several types of metal electrodes on an epitaxial Pr ₀Ca_0.3MnO₃ (PCMO) layer and I-V characterization of electrode pairs were carried out, using combinatorial methodology. The methodology ensured a rapid screening of the resistance-switching effect from many combinations of different materials. Epitaxial PCMO thin films were grown on LaAlO₃(100) (LAO) single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Growth of the epitaxial PCMO thin film was confirmed by four-circle X-ray diffraction (4cXRD) measurements. Detailed analysis of the 4cXRD pattern revealed that the PCMO thin film was compressively strained on the LAO substrate.