Abstract
Although oxide-based resistive switching memory (OxRAM) is one of the strong next-generation high capacity memory candidates, it has the critical disadvantage that deviations of resistance levels is too severe to be adopted as a high capacity memory device. More specifically, it is known that the larger on/off current ratios in multi-level operated OxRAMs, the greater deviation of resistance levels from the targeted values. However, despite the seriousness of the problem there has been no concrete theoretical study on the underlying mechanisms of the phenomenon. In this paper, we introduce a theoretical model that clearly explain the underlying mechanism of making such characteristics of programmed resistance levels in multi-level OxRAMs. From this model, we can understand why there is a proportional relationship between resistance level and its deviation, and why it has such a specific range of proportionality constant measured experimentally. And this understanding can certainly reveal the true limitations of OxRAMs’s performance.
Highlights
In recent decades, oxide-based resistance switching nanodevice, often called OxRAM has been the subject of numerous semiconductor memory manufacturers and academies due to its potential advantages of simple two terminal structure instead of three-terminals in conventional memory devices that results in good scalability, good switching endurance, and fast switching speed
This problem of deviation in programmed resistance levels of OxRAMs can be mitigated to some extent by applying more complicated switching pulse application scheme with loss of switching speed[6], but if we do not understand the true principles of the issue, it is impossible to figure out the true limitation of OxRAMs performance as a high-capacity memory
We begin the study with an explanation of OxRAM fabrication procedure followed by the description of resistance distribution characteristics
Summary
Oxide-based resistance switching nanodevice, often called OxRAM (oxide-based resistive random access memory) has been the subject of numerous semiconductor memory manufacturers and academies due to its potential advantages of simple two terminal structure instead of three-terminals in conventional memory devices that results in good scalability, good switching endurance, and fast switching speed. This tendency becomes clearer at multi-resistance level operation, where a larger deviations of resistance levels appear in the larger on/off ratios This problem of deviation in programmed resistance levels of OxRAMs can be mitigated to some extent by applying more complicated switching pulse application scheme with loss of switching speed[6], but if we do not understand the true principles of the issue, it is impossible to figure out the true limitation of OxRAMs performance as a high-capacity memory. We investigate in this paper the characteristics of distribution of programmed resistance levels in OxRAM and find out the mechanisms that cause the aforementioned phenomenon To achieve this goal, we develop a theoretical model that derived only from the basic knowledge of statistical physics combined with the OxRAM’s resistance switching model without any kind of empirical factors. The switching voltages are applied with slow speed of sweep (5 s of period) from −2 V to
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