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The improvement of stable resistive switching in Al/ZnO/Al heterostructures by integration of amorphous carbon layers (Phys. Status Solidi A 3∕2017)
Author(s) -
Hsu Hua Shu,
Chen Ssu Wei,
Chang Yu Ying,
Chang Chih Hao,
Lee Jiann Shing
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
physica status solidi (a)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.532
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1862-6319
pISSN - 1862-6300
DOI - 10.1002/pssa.201770116
Subject(s) - resistive random access memory , materials science , amorphous solid , optoelectronics , heterojunction , electrode , carbon fibers , oxide , oxygen , nanotechnology , composite material , metallurgy , chemistry , composite number , crystallography , organic chemistry
Resistive‐switching (RS) random access memory (RRAM) has been attracting increased attention as the next‐generation nonvolatile memory. To make its reduction reversible in metal‐oxide based RRAM, some of studies use noble metal electrodes with a much higher electron affinity for the stable RS. On the other hand, amorphous carbon ( a ‐C), which is a tunable material with a mixture of sp 2 and sp 3 C, has also been considered as a nonvolatile memory candidate material. It has been demonstrated that the RS mechanism is mostly due to clustering of the existing sp 2 sites within the sp 3 matrix after applied electric field. Hence, a deliberately designed ZnO/ a ‐C hybrid structure can be utilized to stabilize RS in RRAM performance using Al electrodes as shown by Hua Shu Hsu et al. (article No. 1600739 ). Devices with a‐C inserted layers show better RS properties than those without because the suitable a ‐C/ZnO interface may act as an oxygen reservoir, providing sufficient oxygen ions for RS effect during the reset process. The results provided a new opportunity to integrate C materials into RRAM devices.