  A phase field method is used to computationally study conducting channel
morphology of resistive switching thin film structures. Our approach
successfully predicts the formation of conducting channels in typical
dielectric thin film structures, comparable to a range of resistive switches,
offering an alternative computational formulation based on metastable states
treated at the atomic scale. In contrast to previous resistive switching thin
film models, our formulation makes no a priori assumptions on conducting
channel morphology and its fundamental transport mechanisms.
