Spatial Confinement Effects of Embedded Nanocrystals on Multibit and Synaptic Properties of Forming Free SiO2-Based Conductive Bridge Random Access Memory

In this work we examine the position effect of embedded Pt nanocrystals (NCs) within a conductive bridge resistive switching memory (CBRAM) based on SiO2 which results in self-rectifying properties, low-voltage and more reliable operation. With this material configuration, we derive a large memory window, good spatial and temporal variability, robust pulse endurance and charge retention capabilities. Depending on the applied pulse characteristics we also exhibit low power 4-bit multilevel capabilities along with synaptic properties. The results are compared against a similar device without embedded NCs, gaining insights regarding the spatial confinement of silver nanofilaments by the presence of metallic NCs and its beneficial impact on device operation.