Combine XPS- and AFM Study of Silicon Oxide Film with Zinc Impurity for ReRAM Devices

Abstract

The composition, structure and properties, as well as the current-voltage characteristics of a layered structure consisting of two 50 nm thick amorphous SiO2 films deposited by electron beam evaporation, between which a Zn film with a thickness that varied from 100 nm to 50 nm was deposited. Then these structures were annealed in air in the temperature range from 300 up to 400oC with a step of 50oC for 30 min. Planar electrodes with different configuration were used. They were made from gold, platinum and aluminum. It was found that after deposition on the sample surface, a granular structure with a grain size of 50-100 nm of SiO2 composition was formed. After annealing at 400oC, the sample roughness decreases from 25 nm after deposition to 10 nm, and the grain size in plan increases to 100-200 nm. For films annealed at 400oC the current-voltage characteristics with hysteresis were obtained. Keywords: silicon oxide film, zinc impurity, electron beam evaporation, annealing, nanoclusters, ZnO.