A fast, high-endurance and scalable non-volatile memory device made from asymmetric Ta2O5−x/TaO2−x bilayer structures

Abstract

Numerous candidates attempting to replace Si-based flash memory have failed for a variety of reasons over the years. Oxide-based resistance memory and the related memristor have succeeded in surpassing the specifications for a number of device requirements. However, a material or device structure that satisfies high-density, switching-speed, endurance, retention and most importantly power-consumption criteria has yet to be announced. In this work we demonstrate a TaO(x)-based asymmetric passive switching device with which we were able to localize resistance switching and satisfy all aforementioned requirements. In particular, the reduction of switching current drastically reduces power consumption and results in extreme cycling endurances of over 10(12). Along with the 10 ns switching times, this allows for possible applications to the working-memory space as well. Furthermore, by combining two such devices each with an intrinsic Schottky barrier we eliminate any need for a discrete transistor or diode in solving issues of stray leakage current paths in high-density crossbar arrays.

Electrical memory devices based on inorganic/organic nanocomposites

“…Most commercial products claim to have retention times of 410 years. 71 As reported by Son et al, 63 some hybrid nonvolatile memories, in which a hybrid nanocomposite of graphene-poly(methylmethacrylate) was used as an active layer (Figure 6), have been demonstrated to exhibit retention time comparable to those of commercial products.…”

Forming-free resistive switching of tunable ZnO films grown by atomic layer deposition

“…Among the many contenders for the next-generation of memory device, resistive switching memory based on metal oxides has emerged as the leading candidate [1]. Many metal oxides have been reported to show resistive switching properties such as TiO2 [2], HfO2 [3,4], Ta2O5 [5] etc. For resistive memory in general, highvoltage forming process is needed to initiate the switching, which will normally lead to high power consumption and increased circuit and operational complexity [1].…”

Electrochemical dynamics of nanoscale metallic inclusions in dielectrics

“…However, manual manipulation using scanning tunneling microscopy is slow and inefficient, and not device-friendly compared with methods such as using local electric fields. Indeed, devices based on the field-driven migration of metal inclusions (such as resistive switching or memristive devices) [7][8][9] have attracted broad interest recently and have shown great potential as a disruptive technology for a number of applications including nonvolatile memory [10][11][12][13] , logic [14][15][16] and neuromorphic computing 17 . In these devices, the resistive switching is normally attributed to filament formation caused by the movement of metal inclusions in the insulating dielectric film 9,10,[18][19][20] .…”