Voltage-controlled reverse filament growth boosts resistive switching memory

Nonvolatile memory devices based on filamentary resistance switching (RS) areamong the frontrunners to fuel future devices and sensors of the internet of things (IoT) era. The capability of many metal-insulator-metal cells to switch between two distinctive resistive states in response to an external electrical stimulus has been demonstrated. Through years of selection, cells based on the drift of metal ions, namely conductive-bridge memory devices, have shown a wide range of applications with nanosecond switching speeds, nanometer scalability, high-density, and low power-consumption. However, for low (sub-10-mu A) current operation, a critical challenge is still represented by programming variability and by the stability of the conductive filament over time. Here, by introducing the concept of reverse filament growth (RFG), we managed to control the structural reconfiguration of the conductive filament inside a memory cell with significant enhancements of each of the aforementioned properties. A first-in-class Cu-based switching device is demonstrated, with a dedicated stack that enabled us to systematically trigger RFG, thus tuning the device's properties. Along with nanosecond switching speeds, we achieved an endurance of up to 10(6) cycles with a 10(2) read window, with outstanding disturb immunity and optimal stability of the filament over time. Furthermore, by tuning the filament's shape, an excellent control of multi-level bit operations was achieved. Thus, this device offers high flexibility in memory applications.