Understanding the resistive switching characteristics and mechanism in active SiOx-based resistive switching memory

The resistive switching characteristics and mechanism in active SiOx-based resistive switching memory have been investigated by using a simple TaN/SiO2/n(++) Si-substrate test structure. Controlling the oxygen content in SiOx layer not only improved device yield but also stabilized electrical switching characteristics. The current transport behavior in high- and low-resistance states, thickness effect in SiOx layer, device area effect, and multilevel effect by controlling compliance current limitation and stopped voltage values have been studied. The results indicate that resistive switching occurs in a localized region along a filament, rather than uniformly throughout the bulk. A general current flow model for nonpolar SiOx-based resistive switching memory has been proposed, which provides a simple physical concept to describe the resistive switching behavior and provides additional insights into optimization of resistive switching memory devices. (c) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4769218]