Patent ID: 8741698

Claim:
A method for forming a resistive switching material, the method comprising: providing a substrate in a reaction chamber; a) applying a pulse of a zirconium precursor, wherein a portion of the zirconium precursor adsorbs on the substrate to form a first layer; b) purging a non-adsorbed portion of the zirconium precursor from the reaction chamber; c) applying a pulse of water vapor, wherein the water vapor reacts with the adsorbed portion of the zirconium precursor to form a metal-rich zirconium oxide material comprising oxygen vacancy defects, wherein the metal-rich zirconium oxide material has a zirconium to oxygen ratio of between about 1:1.7 and about 1:1.88; d) purging a non-reacted portion of the water vapor from the reaction chamber; and repeating steps a) through d) at least once.