Electrical properties of Au-polystyrene-Au submicron structures

Electrical forming and voltage-current characteristics of Au-polystyrene-Au (MIM) structures created on a glassy substrate were studied. Polystyrene (PS) isolating films, 180-800nm thick, were prepared by spinning from a solution. It was shown that the electroforming of MIM structures occurs at the voltage of 6-6.5 V and that the shaping rate depends on the insulator thickness, temperature, and the shaping time. The voltage-current characteristics exhibit a region with ohmic behaviour and, above a certain voltage, a region with effective negative resistance. The negative resistance is explained by deterioration of conductive Au filaments at higher voltages. The voltage decrease does not result in a complete recovery of all filaments.