Operando observation of resistive switching in a resistive random-access memory by laser-excited photoemission electron microscope

We developed a laser-excited photoemission electron microscope (Laser-PEEM) that enables us to perform a non-destructive operando observation for elucidating the changes in the physical properties of electronic devices. By utilizing the Laser-PEEM, the non-volatile resistance change in the resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) was clearly visualized, even though the resistance change occurred under the electrode of the ReRAM, thanks to the deep probing depth. The operando observation of the Laser-PEEM is very promising as an observation method for various kinds of devices because the observation simultaneously provides us with morphological and electrical properties in real time.