Method to distinguish ferroelectric from nonferroelectric origin in case of resistive switching in ferroelectric capacitors.

We present investigations on the resistive switching effect in SrRuO3/PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3/Pt ferroelectric capacitors. Using a conductive atomic force microscope, the out-of-plane piezoelectric response and the capacitive and resistive current were simultaneously measured as a function of applied bias voltage. We observed two independent switching phenomena, one attributed to the ferroelectric switching process and the other to resistive switching.We show that I-V curves alone are not sufficient in ferroelectric materials to clarify the underlying switching mechanism and must be used with sufficient caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]