Memristive Switching Behavior of Sol–Gel Derived Ga₂O₃ Thin Films
Abstract
Gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) is an ultrawide bandgap semiconductor (~4.8–5.0 eV) that has recently gained considerable attention for next-generation nanoelectronic and memory devices owing to its superior breakdown field, chemical durability, and thermal robustness. In this study, Ga₂O₃ thin films were fabricated through a sol–gel spin-coating route and subsequently annealed at 1000 °C. X-ray diffraction revealed the structural evolution from an amorphous state to the stable monoclinic β-Ga₂O₃ phase after annealing. Electrical measurements exhibited reproducible bipolar resistive switching with an ON/OFF resistance ratio exceeding 102 and relatively low set/reset voltages. The observed switching is interpreted within the framework of conductive filament formation and rupture, predominantly governed by oxygen vacancy dynamics. The combination of low-cost synthesis, scalable processing, and robust memristive performance highlights sol–gel derived Ga₂O₃ thin films as strong contenders for future resistive random-access memory (RRAM) architectures and neuromorphic computing technologies.