Resistive Switching Behavior of Titanium Oxynitride Fabricated Using a Thermal Nitridation Process

A titanium oxynitride (TiOxNy) resistive random-access memory (RRAM) with write-once-read-many-times (WORM) characteristics is proposed. The TiOxNy resistive switching (RS) layer with a thickness of 62 nm was fabricated using a thermal nitridation process of an evaporated Ti metal film. The residual Ti layer with a thickness of 8 nm is used as the bottom contact. The Al/TiOxNy/Ti/n(+)-Si RRAM shows a large memory window of 10(7) at a low read voltage of 0.2 V. Stable high-resistance state (HRS) and low-resistance state (LRS) are observed in the endurance test for 10(4) read cycles. High read-disturb immunity can be found for over 10(4) s. The energy band diagram, carrier conduction and the RS mechanisms of the RRAM are investigated.

Automated summary

The TiOxNy RRAM proposed in this study exhibits prominent WORM characteristics, a wide memory window, good durability, and high read-disturb immunity. Through investigations into material structure, electrical properties, and mechanisms, the electronic transport and RS mechanisms of the RRAM are explored.