Using post-breakdown conduction study in a MIS structure to better understand the resistive switching mechanism in an...

Area of Science:

• Solid State Physics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Conventional logic transistors with metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures exhibit failure mechanisms in the post-breakdown regime.
• Resistive Random-Access Memory (RRAM) technology utilizes metal-insulator-metal (MIM) stacks for non-volatile memory applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To interpret the resistive switching mechanism in RRAM devices.
• To establish an analogy between the breakdown physics of logic transistors and the filamentation physics in RRAM.

Main Methods:

• Applying the understanding of failure physics in high-κ dielectric logic transistors.
• Analyzing the post-breakdown regime of MIS structures.
• Investigating metal-insulator-metal (MIM) stacks in RRAM.

Main Results:

• Oxygen vacancies, gate metal migration, and metal filament formation in the dielectric are identified as key mechanisms.
• These breakdown-related phenomena in logic gates are analogous to the SET process in RRAM.
• Filament formation physics in resistive memory is linked to dielectric breakdown.

Conclusions:

• The physics of failure in conventional logic transistors provides a framework for understanding RRAM resistive switching.
• Understanding dielectric breakdown is crucial for optimizing RRAM performance.
• This cross-disciplinary approach offers new insights into non-volatile memory mechanisms.