Protons: Critical Species for Resistive Switching in Interface‐Type Memristors
[1]
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USA
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USA, School of Materials Engineering Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
- Department of Materials Design and Innovation University at Buffalo – The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy University of Cambridge 27 Charles Babbage Road Cambridge CB3 0FS UK
- School of Materials Engineering Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Southern California Los Angeles CA 90089 USA
AbstractInterface‐type (IT) resistive switching (RS) memories are promising for next generation memory and computing technologies owing to the filament‐free switching, high on/off ratio, low power consumption, and low spatial variability. Although the switching mechanisms of memristors have been widely studied in filament‐type devices, they are largely unknown in IT memristors. In this work, using the simple Au/Nb:SrTiO3 (Nb:STO) as a model Schottky system, it is identified that protons from moisture are key element in determining the RS characteristics in IT memristors. The Au/Nb:STO devices show typical Schottky interface controlled current–voltage (I–V) curves with a large on/off ratio under ambient conditions. Surprisingly, in a controlled environment without protons/moisture, the large I–V hysteresis collapses with the disappearance of a high resistance state (HRS) and the Schottky barrier. Once the devices are re‐exposed to a humid environment, the typical large I–V hysteresis can be recovered within hours as the HRS and Schottky interface are restored. The RS mechanism in Au/Nb:STO is attributed to the Schottky barrier modulation by a proton assisted electron trapping and detrapping process. This work highlights the important role of protons/moisture in the RS properties of IT memristors and provides fundamental insight for switching mechanisms in metal oxides‐based memory devices.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); Royal Academy of Engineering
- Grant/Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001; ECCS-1902623; ECCS-1902644; DMR-1809520; EP/T012218/1; CIET 1819 24; EU-H2020-ERC-ADG # 882929
- OSTI ID:
- 1893797
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1909539; OSTI ID: 2007381
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-23-20271; LA-UR-23-30605
- Journal Information:
- Advanced Electronic Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Electronic Materials; ISSN 2199-160X
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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