Resistive switching in unstructured, polycrystalline BiFeO 3 thin films with downscaled electrodes

Resistive switching (RS) has been investigated in unstructured, polycrystalline BiFeO3 thin films with an emphasis on the possibility to downscale the top electrode size. Reproducible RS can be shown for large-scale top and bottom electrodes. However, distinguishable RS is observed when the top electrode is downscaled to the grain size. The microscopic conduction is found to take place within grains. We demonstrate the recovery of homogeneous RS in unstructured, polycrystalline BiFeO3 with downscaled electrodes and reduced conductive unit size by decreasing the BiFeO3 film thickness.