Electrically tailored resistance switching in silicon oxide
Résumé
Resistive switching in a metal-free silicon-based material offers a compelling alternative to
existing metal oxide-based resistive RAM (ReRAM) devices, both in terms of ease of
fabrication and of enhanced device performance. We report a study of resistive switching in
devices consisting of non-stoichiometric silicon-rich silicon dioxide thin films. Our devices
exhibit multi-level switching and analogue modulation of resistance as well as standard
two-level switching.
We demonstrate different operational modes that make it possible to dynamically adjust
device properties, in particular two highly desirable properties: nonlinearity and
self-rectification. This can potentially enable high levels of device integration in passive
crossbar arrays without causing the problem of leakage currents in common line semi-selected
devices.
Aspects of conduction and switching mechanisms are discussed, and scanning tunnelling
microscopy (STM) measurements provide a more detailed insight into both the location and
the dimensions of the conductive filaments.