MemriSim: A theoretical framework for simulating electron transport in oxide memristors

We have developed a theoretical framework MemriSim for simulating the resistive switching behaviors of oxide memristors. MemriSim comprises two major parts, i) structural evolution of oxygen vacancies during conductive filament formation/rupture by kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) algorithm, and ii) transport calculations based on the scenario of electron tunneling and thermionic emission with the kMC derived structures. As prototype probes, we have computed the current-voltage (I-V) curves of HfO2 and TaOx based memristors and compared the results with experimental measurements, which show perfect agreement. By tuning the physical parameters, MemriSim can describe resistive switching devices with different oxide layers and metal electrodes. In addition, the pulse transient current can also be simulated by considering the transient response of RLC circuit. The developed framework not only provides a general approach for understanding the fundamental mechanism of resistive switching in oxides, but also opens up new opportunities for designing and optimizing memristor-based architectures for nonvolatile memory, logic-in-memory and neuromorphic computing.