Electrical Characteristics of CMOS-Compatible SiO-Based Resistive-Switching Devices

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Memristive devices are crucial for next-generation neuromorphic systems.
• Compatibility with existing fabrication processes (CMOS) is essential for integration.
• Understanding resistive switching mechanisms is key to device optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrical and resistive switching properties of memristive devices.
• To evaluate the impact of thermal treatment on device stability and functionality.
• To explore the potential of these devices for hardware neuromorphic systems.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of memristive devices using silicon oxide (insulator) and titanium nitride (electrode).
• Characterization of electrical properties and resistive switching across a wide temperature range.
• Analysis of conduction mechanisms in high-resistance state (HRS) and low-resistance state (LRS).

Main Results:

• Devices exhibit bipolar resistive switching with synaptic behavior after thermal treatment.
• Conduction mechanisms involve trap-induced filaments, with distinct behaviors in HRS (activation nature) and LRS (Ohm's law and tunneling).
• As-fabricated devices lack stable resistance states without thermal treatment.

Conclusions:

• CMOS-compatible materials and low-temperature fabrication enable efficient integration.
• The studied memristive devices show potential for implementing hardware neuromorphic systems.
• Thermal treatment is critical for achieving stable and functional synaptic behavior.