Insights into few-atom conductive bridging random access memory cells with a combined force-field/ab initio scheme

We present a simulation framework to simulate the switching behavior of Ag/a-SiO2 conductive bridging random access memories (CBRAM). Whereas the dynamics of the switching process is investigated with classical molecular dynamics simulations using a force-field, the electrical properties are determined through ab initio calculations. With a structural analysis of the oxide, we shed light on the switching mechanism, which relies on preferred channels containing wide SiO2 rings through which Ag+ ions migrate. Also, we demonstrate that moving only few atoms in such channels can change the resistance state by several orders of magnitude.