Estimation of the activation energy in the Ag/SnSe/Ge₂Se₃/W self-directed channel memristor

In this study, we conducted an investigation into the Ag/SnSe/Ge₂Se₃/W ionic memristor, focusing on the determination of activation energies associated with its two primary operational processes: the formation of conductive filaments and memristor degradation. To ascertain the electrical conductivity of the memristor in both its basic electronic states, a low resistance state and a high resistance state, we constructed current-voltage characteristics. The estimation of activation energy values was carried out employing the Arrhenius law and the provisions of irreversible thermodynamics, with specific reference to Onsager's second postulate. This fundamental concept posits that the growth rate of irreversible component of entropy can be expressed as the summation of products involving fluxes and thermodynamic forces when a system tends towards its equilibrium state. In the context of this study, the equilibrium state of the memristor is defined as the condition at which the memristor can no longer function as a resistive memory cell. Our experimentation involved the application of a flux of Ag⁺ ions (electromigration). The calculated activation energy values were found to be 0.24 eV for the initial process and 1.16 eV for the latter. These divergent activation energy values indicate the differentiation between the agglomerative mechanism that governs the formation of conductive channels, prevalent in the Ag/SnSe/Ge₂Se₃/W memristor, and the "conventional" substance transfer mechanism based on a group of point defects that manifests itself during the memristor's degradation.