Physics-based switching model for Cu/SiO2/W quantum memristor

Memristive devices are leading candidates for realizing next generation non-volatile memory [1] and brain-inspired neuromorphic computing systems [2]. However, most of these devices operate at high voltages (1-3 V) and require 100s of μA for programming. We recently demonstrated a Cu/SiO2/W memristor device, exhibiting half-integer quantum conductance states at room temperature and sub-300 mV switching [3]. In this paper we develop a physics based model for this device, capturing the observed experimental programming characteristics including its switching response, conductance quantization, and pulse response.