Memory state protected from leakage current in Ti/SiN/NiN/Pt bilayer resistive random-access memory devices for array applications

Abstract

In this work, we present a method to protect the memory state of Pt/NiN/SiN/Ti bilayer memory structures, to integrate resistive switching memory with bipolar resistive switching (BRS) elements into a cross bar array (CBA) structure. In the device, a silicon nitride (SiN) layer acts as area creating BRS, while a nickel nitride (NiN) layer can be used as a selector (S), which results in the selector free resistive random-access memory (RRAM) devices possible to directly integrate into a CBA structure, without the need of additional elements. In addition, the proposed RRAM device shows a stable current ratio of >101 in the repetitive direct current cycling test of 200 times, a long retention time of >105, and a wide read-out margin of 130, which indicates the sneak current path in the crossbar structures was significantly suppressed. We believe that the proposed architecture is a strong candidate for future cross-bar type RRAM applications.