Significant improvements in the switching voltage distribution are required for the development of unipolar resistivememory devices using MnOx thin films. The Vset of the as-grown MnOx film ranged from 1 to 6.2 V, whereas the Vset of theoxygen-annealed film ranged from 2.3 to 3 V. An excess of oxygen in an MnOx film leads to an increase in Mn4+ contentat the MnOx film surface with a subsequent change in the Mn4+/Mn3+ ratio at the surface. This was attributed to the changein Mn4+/Mn3+ ratios at the MnOx surface and to grain growth. Oxygen annealing is a possible solution for improving theswitching voltage distribution of MnOx thin films. In addition, crystalline MnOx can help stabilize the Vset and Vreset distributionin memory switching in a Ti/MnOx/Pt structure. The improved uniformity was attributed not only to the change of thecrystallinity but also to the redox reaction at the interface between Ti and MnOx.

Yttria stabilized zirconia single crystals show plastic deformation at high temperatures by activating dislocations. The plastic deformation is highly dependent on crystallographic orientation. When the samples were deformed at different orientations, stress-strain curves changed by operating different slip systems. The strength of samples was also highly dependent on crystallographic orientation, i.e., samples without yield drop showed higher strength than that of samples exhibiting yield drop. The slip systems in the sample deformed along<112>,<111> and<001> agreed with the theoretical values of the plastic deformation, following Schmid's Law. Dislocations play a major role in the plastic deformation of this crystal. At the early stages of plastic deformation, all samples exhibited dislocation dipoles and, in the later stages, dislocation interactions occurred by forming nodes, tangles and networks. In this study, three different orientations, [11-2], [111] and [001] were employed to explain the plastic deformation behavior. A microstructural analysis was performed to elucidate the mechanism of the plastic behavior of this crystal.