What is it about?

Titanium Nitride (TiN) and Hafnium Oxide (HfOx) are extensively used by the semiconductor industry for CMOS and other types of integrations. These materials already being available in advanced fabrication facilities make the inclusion attractive when exploring new types of devices, such as Resistive Random Access Memories (RRAM). In the presented study, we find that different deposition conditions of HfOx change the band alignment of HfOx/TiN, which we associate with the observed differences in the electrical performance of the RRAM. We conclude that the presence of a thicker Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) interfacial layer that formed during the deposition process and a smaller conduction band offset (via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) will degrade the RRAM resistive switching properties.

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Why is it important?

Our results improve the understanding of the Hafnium Oxide/ bottom metal electrode (BME) interface, which is vital when designing memory element material stacks for high performance. By understanding how the different fabrication methods affect the composition and the band alignment of the oxide interface/BME, it is possible to optimize the material stack integration. Our results could possibly elevate the technology maturity for both high performance oxygen vacancy filamentary switching memories (OxRRAM) and ferroelectric switching memories (FeRAM) implementations using these types of interfaces.

Perspectives

Understanding how different applications of atomic layer deposited HfO2 affect the margin for the onset of reverse filament formation and improves endurance is of high importance when building the memory technologies of the future that will enable fast and efficient neuromorphic computing. I sincerely thank all collaborators involved in this work in this difficult period of time. A Big Thank You!

Yong Zhihua

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This page is a summary of: The Effect of Deposition Conditions on Heterointerface‐Driven Band Alignment and Resistive Switching Properties, Advanced Electronic Materials, August 2022, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202200220.
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