Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T11:19:59.320Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Material and Device Parameters Influencing Multi-Level Resistive Switching of Room Temperature Grown Titanium Oxide Layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2015

P. Bousoulas
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9 Zografou, 15780 Athens, Greece
I. Michelakaki
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9 Zografou, 15780 Athens, Greece
J. Giannopoulos
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9 Zografou, 15780 Athens, Greece
K. Giannakopoulos
Affiliation:
Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, NCSR “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece
D. Tsoukalas
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9 Zografou, 15780 Athens, Greece
Get access

Abstract

We present a detailed study of memory performance of titanium oxide (TiO2-x)-based resistive switching memories by modifying critical parameters of the films involved in the memory stack grown by reactive sputtering at room temperature. The device includes a Ti nanolayer at the Au/TiO2-x interface and it is defined by the following material stack: Au/Ti/TiO2-x/Au/SiO2/Si. We investigate the memory performance optimization of the device in terms of the Ti nanolayer thickness using as a starting point for the TiO2-x growth conditions these identified by varying the ratio of oxygen concentration to argon concentration by our previous results. Due to the superb ability of Ti to absorb oxygen atoms from the dielectric matrix, a large amount of oxygen vacancies is created, which are crucial for the stable function of the memory devices. We observe the existence of an optimum Ti thickness that if further increased gradually degrades the resistive switching behavior. The induced interface oxide thickness is found also to affect the fluctuation of the ON/OFF processes. In terms of electrical performance self-rectifying characteristics were recorded for all samples in the both resistance states. We then demonstrate that at least five-level resistance states could be obtained by modifying the compliance current, exhibiting excellent resistance uniformity and retention capability. The results are supported by C-AFM measurements demonstrating the scaling potential of the large area device discussed above.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Burr, G.W., Kurdi, B.N., Scott, J.C., Lam, C.H., Gopalakrishnan, K., Shenoy, R.S., Overview of candidate device technologies for storage-class memory. IBM J. Res. Dev. 52, (2008) 449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hickmott, T.W., Low-frequency negative resistance in thin anodic oxide films. J. Appl. Phys. 33, (1962) 2669.10.1063/1.1702530CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strukov, D. B., Snider, G. S., Stewart, D. R., and Williams, R. S., The missing memristor found, Nature 453, (2008) 80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwon, D.-H., Kim, K.M., Jang, J.H., Jeon, J.M., Lee, M.H., Kim, G.H., Li, X.-S., Park, G.-S., Lee, B., Han, S., Kim, M., Hwang, C.S., Atomic structure of conducting nanofilaments in TiO2 resistive switching memory, Nat. Nanotechnology 5, (2010) 148153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kamiya, K., Yang, M.Y., Köpe, B.M., Niwa, M., Nishi, Y., Shiraishi, K., Vacancy cohesion isolation phase transition upon charge injection and removal in binary oxide based RRAM filamentary-type switching, IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 10, (2013) 3400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bousoulas, P., Michelakaki, I., Tsoukalas, D., Influence of oxygen content of room temperature TiO2− x deposited films for enhanced resistive switching memory performance, J. Appl. Phys. 115 (2014) 034516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bousoulas, P., Michelakaki, I., Tsoukalas, D., Influence of Ti top electrode thickness on the resistive switching properties of forming free and self-rectified TiO2−x thin films, Thin Solid Films 571 (2014) 2331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yu, S., Guan, X., and Philip Wong, H.-S., Conduction mechanism of TiN-HfOx-Pt resistive switching memory: A trap-assisted-tunneling model, Appl. Phys. Lett. 99, (2011) 063507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, T., Role of oxygen vacancies in TiO2-based resistive switches, J. Appl. Phys. 113 (2013) 033707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verrelli, E., Tsoukalas, D., Normand, P., Kean, A.H., Boukos, N., Forming-free resistive switching memories based on titanium-oxide nanoparticles fabricated at room, temperature, Appl. Phys. Lett. 102 (2013) 022909.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stille, S., Lenser, Ch., Dittmann, R., Koehl, A., Krug, I., Muenstermann, R., Perlich, J., Schneider, C.M., Klemradt, U., Waser, R., Detection of filament formation in forming free resistive switching SrTiO3 devices with Ti top electrodes, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100 (2012) 223503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lanza, M., Bersuker, G., Porti, M., Miranda, E., Nafría, M., and Aymerich, X., Resistive switching in hafnium dioxide layers: Local phenomenon at grain boundaries, Appl. Phys. Lett. 101 (2012) 193502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar