Reset Instability in Pulsed-Operated Unipolar Resistive-Switching Random Access Memory Devices

Resistive-switching random access memory (RRAM) devices are attracting increasing interest as a potential candidate for high-density nonvolatile memory devices. One of the main issues toward RRAM feasibility is the reduction of the reset current
I
_reset
necessary to restore the high-resistance state in the device.
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_reset
can be reduced by controlling the size of the conductive filament responsible for the low-resistance state; however, available data only focus on direct-current reset analysis. This letter addresses
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_reset
reduction under pulsed operation. Unstable reset behaviors, including set-reset and set instability, are shown to occur during relatively fast pulses and starting from set states with relatively large resistance values. These instability effects limit
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_reset
reduction, posing a potential issue of minimum reset current achievable in RRAM devices.