The effect of different pulse rise time in resistive random access memory (RRAM) is presented in this study. The result shows that the length of pulse rise time will lead to variations in RRAM OFF-state resistance that occur due to which of two distinct effects governs the reaction, either the electric field or the thermal field. Different sidewall materials are adopted in RRAM devices to verify these phenomena, and a physical model supplemented with COMSOL simulation is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]