Effect of thickness of metal electrode on the performance of SiNx-based resistive switching devices

Abstract

This letter studies the effect of the thickness of the top electrode on the performance of a SiNx resistive switching layer. We fabricated six devices with Ta electrodes of different thickness values (8 nm, 10 nm, 15 nm, 30 nm, 40 nm, and 50 nm) in a Ta/SiNx/Pt structure and then systematically investigated their performance. The high electrode thickness devices show stable and self-compliant bipolar resistive switching characteristics. In contrast, low electrode thickness devices display unstable RS behavior and have a high set voltage. In the low resistance state region, the Ta/SiNx/Pt devices obey Ohmic conduction, while in the high resistance state region, the conduction mechanism is Schottky emission. To explain the different RS behavior in the two device types, a nitrogen-ion-based model has been presented. According to this model, the device with a thicker top electrode has a stronger nitrogen accommodation ability, while the migration of nitrogen ions and silicon dangling bonds dominates conductive behavior.

Influence of Nitrogen Adsorption of Doped Ta on Characteristics of SiNx‐Based Resistive Random Access Memory

“…Therefore, it is expected to increase the on/off ratio and improve the performance of the device. In our previous research, it was found that Ta exhibits good nitrogen‐accommodation ability, and with Ta layer as top electrode (TE), SiN x ‐based RRAM can achieve stable performance . Based on the aforementioned research, we expect to use the nitrogen adsorption of Ta to influence the conduction process and increase the on/off ratio.…”

Influence of the Position of Local Ta Doping in SiNx Resistive Random Access Memory

“…As shown in the following chemical equation, it causes the top electrode conductive channel to break and lets the device switch from the LRS to HRS.Due to the good binding ability of Ta to N ions, the fracture of the conduction channel in the RS layer usually occurs at the top interface and the intermediate Ta‐doping layer of the RS layer. [ 24 ]…”

“…When testing a new device, a sizeable forming voltage must be applied to the top electrode to establish an initial conductive channel in the RS layer. [24,25] Subsequently, the I-V characteristics of the device were stabilized after several cycles of the tests. The initial process is the periodic testing of the device from its formation to the stage when it has stable characteristics.…”

“…Due to the good binding ability of Ta to N ions, the fracture of the conduction channel in the RS layer usually occurs at the top interface and the intermediate Ta-doping layer of the RS layer. [24] The RS models of the devices with samples A, B, and C are shown in Figure 4. For sample A, the electric field in the top RS layer is more concentrated for the device with voltage bias.…”

Multifunctional Analog Resistance Switching of Si3N4-Based Memristors through Migration of Ag+ Ions and Formation of Si-Dangling Bonds

“…Given the above concerns, functions such as forming-free, self-rectifying, and self-compliance of a memristor are urgently needed to be efficiently realized, and some of them have been investigated previously. − As one of the investigated memristors, Si 3 N 4 -based ones have shown their ability in suppressing overshoot voltages and leakage currents. ,, Moreover, Si 3 N 4 -based memristors are well-known as having better durability and lower power consumption and are compatible with conventional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. ,, Most of them, however, present only digital resistance “on/off” switching behaviors, largely limiting their applications in artificial synaptic devices. ,− …”