In-situ transmission electron microscopy of conductive filaments in NiO resistance random access memory and its analysis

Abstract

We used thermal oxidization at various temperatures to prepare NiO/Pr-Ir for use in resistance random access memory (ReRAM) samples. In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to investigate the forming process of these ReRAM samples, where a needle-shaped top electrode of Pt-Ir was attached to the NiO/Pt-Ir ReRAM layer. The forming voltage initializing the NiO layer increased at an oxidization temperature of between 200 and 400 °C. In this process, conductive bridges, which are thought to be conductive filaments of a ReRAM, appeared, and their sizes showed a correlation with the injection power. It was as small as about 300 nm2 when the injection power was 10−6 W. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to analyze the bridge, and it was experimentally confirmed that the oxygen content of the bridge was lower than that of the initial NiO layer. However, these bridges in the low resistance state did not show further ReRAM switching to the high resistance state inside of a TEM instrument. To check the reason of this result, we investigated samples outside of the TEM instrument, which had similar geometry to that of TEM specimens. They showed the ReRAM switching in air ambient but not in vacuum. Combining these results inside and outside of the TEM instrument, it can be concluded that the existence of oxygen around the conductive filament plays an important role. This supports the filament redox model on the ReRAM operation.