Oxidation state and interfacial effects on oxygen vacancies in tantalum pentoxide
First-principles density-functional theory calculations are used to study the atomistic structure, structural energetics, and electron density near the O monovacancy (V{sub O}{sup n}; n = 0,1+,2+) in both bulk, amorphous tantalum pentoxide (a-Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}), and also at vacuum and metallic Ta interfaces. We calculate multivariate vacancy formation energies to evaluate stability as a function of oxidation state, distance from interface plane, and Fermi energy. V{sub O}{sup n} of all oxidation states preferentially segregates at both Ta and vacuum interfaces, where the metallic interface exhibits global formation energy minima. In a-Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}, V{sub O}{sup 0} is characterized by structural contraction and electron density localization, while V{sub O}{sup 2+} promotes structural expansion and is depleted of electron density. In contrast, interfacial V{sub O}{sup 0} and V{sub O}{sup 2+} show nearly indistinguishable ionic and electronic signatures indicative of a reduced V{sub O} center. Interfacial V{sub O}{sup 2+} extracts electron density from metallic Ta, indicating that V{sub O}{sup 2+} is spontaneously reduced at the expense of the metal. This oxidation/reduction behavior suggests careful selection and processing of both oxide layer and metal electrodes for engineering memristor device operation.