| Literature DB >> 31890465 |
Min-Ci Wu1, Yi-Hsin Ting1, Jui-Yuan Chen2, Wen-Wei Wu1,3,4.
Abstract
The technologies of 3D vertical architecture have made a major breakthrough in establishing high-density memory structures. Combined with an array structure, a 3D high-density vertical resistive random access memory (VRRAM) cross-point array is demonstrated to efficiently increase the device density. Though electrochemical migration (ECM) resistive random access (RRAM) has the advantage of low power consumption, the stability of the operating voltage requires further improvements due to filament expansions and deterioration. In this work, 3D-VRRAM arrays are designed. Two-layered RRAM cells, with one inert and one active sidewall electrode stacked at a cross-point, are constructed, where the thin film sidewall electrode in the VRRAM structure is beneficial for confining the expansions of the conducting filaments. Thus, the top cell (Pt/ZnO/Pt) and the bottom cell (Ag/ZnO/Pt) in the VRRAM structure, which are switched by different mechanisms, can be analyzed at the same time. The oxygen vacancy filaments in the Pt/ZnO/Pt cell and Ag filaments in the Ag/ZnO/Pt cell are verified. The 40 nm thickness sidewall electrode restricts the filament size to nanoscale, which demonstrates the stability of the operating voltages. Additionally, the 0.3 V operating voltage of Ag/ZnO/Pt ECM VRRAM demonstrates the potential of low power consumption of VRRAM arrays in future applications.Entities:
Keywords: 3D vertical resistive random access memory (VRRAM); high‐density memory arrays; low power consumption; nanofilaments; transmission electron microscope (TEM) structural analysis
Year: 2019 PMID: 31890465 PMCID: PMC6918122 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201902363
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Adv Sci (Weinh) ISSN: 2198-3844 Impact factor: 16.806
Figure 13D two‐layered vertical RRAM arrays. a) The schematic of the 3D‐VRRAM cross array. b,c) The VRRAM operation schematic of Pt/ZnO/Pt (top cell) and Ag/ZnO/Pt (bottom cell). d) The top view SEM image of the 3D‐VRRAM in 3 × 2 array. The top cell and bottom cell of the two‐layered VRRAM appear in 45° at the cross‐point between the sidewall electrode and pillar electrode. The inset shows the enlarged SEM image at cross‐point, and the pillar electrode confines the filament in specific area. The cross‐sectional TEM image of the VRRAM structure cutting from 45° of the cross‐point. f) The EDS mapping of (e).
Figure 2Electrical properties of Ag/ZnO/Pt (bottom cell) and Pt/ZnO/Pt (top cell) in VRRAM. a) Cycling I–V curves of the Ag/ZnO/Pt device. b,c) The I–V curves of Ag/ZnO/Pt in the log–log scale in the set and reset process, respectively. d) Cycling I–V curve in Pt/ZnO/Pt device. e,f) The I–V curves of Pt/ZnO/Pt in the log–log scale for the set and reset process. g) The threshold voltages distribution of Ag/ZnO/Pt and Pt/ZnO/Pt. h) The endurance test. The results show that both the Ag/ZnO/Pt and Pt/ZnO/Pt cells in VRRAM could operate at more than 100 times. d) The retention measurement. The retention times of both devices are >104 s.
Figure 3The component analysis of the top cell (Pt/ZnO/Pt) and the schematic of the mechanism. a) STEM dark‐field image of the operated VRRAM top cell (Pt/ZnO/Pt). At point 2, a white path connects the sidewall electrode to the pillar electrode. b) TEM bright‐field image of the top cell. The inset table in (b) shows the EDS point analysis at points 1 (in filaments) and 2 (ZnO matrix). c) The elementary composition derived from the EELS line scan within the white solid line in (a). d) The EELS spectra of the Zn L‐edges collected from the ZnO matrix (regions 1 and 3) and ZnO1− filaments (region 2). e) Schematic of the switching mechanism in the top cell (Pt/ZnO/Pt). The oxygen vacancies play an important role in the resistance switching of VCM RRAM.
Figure 4The component analysis of the bottom cell (Ag/ZnO/Pt) and the schematic of the mechanism. a) TEM image of the Ag/ZnO/Pt VRRAM cell (bottom cell) after operating for 30 cycles. b) EDS mapping of various elements corresponding to (a). The silver elements distribution in the ZnO layer demonstrates the diffusion of silver. c) Bright field TEM image of the conducting filament in ZnO. d,e) Dark‐field TEM image acquired from the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) of d) the Ag {200} planes and e) the Ag {111} planes, corresponding to the inset FFT pattern of (c). f) Switching mechanism of the Ag/ZnO/Pt device. Upon applying a voltage to the Ag sidewall electrode, and when the Pt electrode pillar is grounded, silver atoms in the sidewall electrode would oxidize into silver ions and diffuse into ZnO. The diffusing silver ions would reduce near the cathode during the forming or set process to form a conducting path.