In Project B6 (2019-2023) we are finally addressing the transient changes in the electronic structure and phase formation with pico-second time-resolution by utilizing a suite of carefully chosen pump-probe approaches. We will employ soft as well as hard-X-ray microspectroscopies to disentangle the microscopic mechanisms and their intrinsic time scales. In order to specifically probe the motion of the ionic species we will also employ ultrafast electron diffraction.
Electronic structure and phase formation in resistive memory materials
(2015-2019)
This project aims at the elucidation of changes in the electronic structure underlying the switching processes in resistive memory materials by means of spatially resolved electron spectroscopy methods, namely synchrotron-based photoemission spectromicroscopy. We will explore the course of the phase formation process in surface and interface layers by in situ electrical switching under direct observation in the microscope. Ultimately, the real-time kinetics of the switching processes will be addressed by ultrafast time-resolving approaches.
(2011-2015)
Resistive switching processes are intimately connected to an altered local electronic structure and bonding situation in nanoscale areas. In order to elucidate the physical mechanisms governing the various types of resistive switching, we employ new nanospectroscopic approaches with high lateral resolution and chemical selectivity. We not only address the static states before and after switching (low-resistive state, high-resistive state), but also the real-time evolution of the switching process. A development of these experimental approaches into the hard x-ray regime will also allow us to investigate the changes in buried layers and at internal interfaces of realistic device structures.
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. C. M. Schneider
Peter Grünberg Institut (PGI-6)
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Phone: +49 (0)2461 61 4428
E-mail: c.m.schneider@fz-juelich.de