The potential of semiconducting oxides in comparison to insulating oxides for memristor applications

Memristors have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation memory, such as storage-class memory, embedded memory, and synaptic devices for neuromorphic computing. Their performance is strongly influenced by intrinsic material properties, particularly the formation and dynamics of defects such as oxygen vacancies. They can also be fabricated by simple methods, which typically result in a material with amorphous phase sandwiched between two metal electrodes. These features have motivated extensive exploration of oxide-based memristive devices across a broad range of material systems. In this perspective, we critically assess diverse literature to compare semiconducting oxide with insulating oxide-based memristors. We evaluated operational voltages, resistance states, and switching types to elucidate the key differences and performance trends associated with these two classes of materials. We anticipate that this perspective will serve as a useful guide for researchers seeking to select or engineer oxide materials tailored to specific memristor applications, from high-density memory to neuromorphic architectures.