An ultra high-endurance memristor using back-end-of-line amorphous SiC

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering

Background:

• Integrating resistive memory and neuromorphic memristors into silicon technology is challenging.
• Back-end-of-line (BEOL) integration, stacking memory above logic, offers a promising solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel memristor suitable for BEOL integration.
• To explore its potential for neuromorphic computing applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a memristor using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) bilayer of amorphous SiC/Si and a Cu active electrode.
• Testing device endurance, ON/OFF ratio, resistance drift, and switching characteristics.

Main Results:

• The memristor exhibits endurance exceeding one billion cycles with an ON/OFF ratio of approximately two orders of magnitude.
• Stable resistance states with a coefficient of variation of ~10% were achieved after initial resistance drift.
• Ohmic conduction and reverse bias Schottky emission were identified as conduction mechanisms.
• Multistate switching was demonstrated by controlling pulse conditions.

Conclusions:

• The PECVD SiC/Si bilayer memristor is a promising candidate for BEOL integration due to its performance and the compatibility of the deposition method with existing processes.
• The device shows potential for neuromorphic computing applications owing to its multistate switching capabilities.