Comparison of Radiation Effects in Custom-and Commercially-Fabricated Resistive Memory Devices

Journal Article · 29 October 2019 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2019.2950199 · OSTI ID:1574801

Holt, Joshua S. ^[1]; Alamgir, Zahiruddin ^[1]; Beckmann, Karsten ^[1]; Suguitan, Nadia ^[1]; Russell, Sierra ^[1]; Iler, Evan ^[1]; Bakhru, Hassaram ^[1]; Bielejec, Edward S. ^[2]; Jacobs-Gedrim, Robin B. ^[2]; Hughart, David Russell ^[2]; Marinella, Matthew ^[2]; Yang-Scharlotta, Jean ^[3]; Cady, Nathaniel C. ^[4]

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1. State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Albany, NY (United States)
2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
3. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)
4. State Univ. of New York Polytechnic Inst., Albany, NY (United States)

The radiation response of TaO_x-based RRAM devices fabricated in academic (Set A) and industrial (Set B) settings was compared. Ionization damage from a ⁶⁰Co gamma source did not cause any changes in device resistance for either device type, up to 45 Mrad(Si). Displacement damage from a heavy ion beam caused the Set B in the high resistance state to decrease in resistance at 1 x 10²¹ oxygen displacements per cm³; meanwhile, the Set A devices did not exhibit any decrease in resistance due to displacement damage. Both types of devices demonstrated an increase in resistance around 3 x 10²² oxygen displacements per cm³, possibly due to damage at the oxide/metal interfaces. These extremely high levels of damage represent near-total atomic disruption, and if this level of damage were ever reached, other circuit elements would likely fail before the RRAM devices in this study. Generally, both sets of devices were much more resistant to radiation effects than other devices reported in the literature. Displacement damage effects were only observed in the Set A devices once the displacement-induced oxygen vacancies surpassed the intrinsic vacancy concentration in the devices, suggesting that high oxygen vacancy concentration played a role in the devices’ high tolerance to displacement damage.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1574801
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1575264
• Report Number(s): SAND-2019-7690J; SAND-2019-4381J; 677128; TRN: US2001203
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 66, Issue 12; ISSN 0018-9499
• Publisher: IEEECopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English