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Resistive switching in thin films has been widely studied in a broad range ofmaterials. Yet the mechanisms behind electroresistive switching have beenpersistently difficult to decipher and control, in part due to theirnon-equilibrium nature. Here, we demonstrate new experimental approaches thatcan probe resistive switching phenomena, utilizing amorphous TaO$_x$ as a modelmaterial system. Specifically, we apply Scanning Microwave Impedance Microscopy(sMIM) and cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy as direct probes of conductanceand electronic structure, respectively. These methods provide direct evidenceof the electronic state of TaO$_x$ despite its amorphous nature. For example CLidentifies characteristic impurity levels in TaO$_x$, in agreement with firstprinciples calculations. We applied these methods to investigate He-ion-beamirradiation as a path to activate conductivity of materials and enableelectroforming-free control over resistive switching. However, we find thateven though He-ions begin to modify the nature of bonds even at the lowestdoses, the films conductive properties exhibit remarkable stability with largedisplacement damage and they are driven to metallic states only at the limit ofstructural decomposition. Finally, we show that electroforming in a nanoscalejunction can be carried out with a dissipated power of < 20 nW, a much smallervalue compared to earlier studies and one that minimizes irreversiblestructural modifications of the films. The multimodal approach described hereprovides a new framework toward the theory/experiment guided design andoptimization of electroresistive materials.

Nanoscale imaging of He-ion irradiation effects on amorphous TaO$_x$ toward electroforming-free neuromorphic functions