High uniformity and improved nonlinearity by embedding nanocrystals in selector-less resistive random access memory.

The sneak path problem is one of the major hindrances for the application of high density 3D crossbar resistive random access memory (RRAM). For the selector-less RRAM devices, nonlinear (NL) current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are an alternative approach to minimize the sneak paths. In this work we have demonstrated metallic IrOx nanocrystal (IrOx-NC) based selector-less crossbar RRAM devices in an IrOx/AlOx/IrOx-NC/AlOx/W structure with very reliable hysteresis resistive switching of >10 000 cycles, stable multiple levels, and high temperature (HT) data retention. Moreover, an improvement in the NL behavior has been reported as compared to a pure high-κ AlOx RRAM. The origin of the NL nature has been discussed using the hopping model and Luittenger's 1D metal theory. The nonlinearity can be further improved by structure engineering and will improve the sensing margin of the devices, which is rewarding for crossbar array integration.