Highly Uniform, Electroforming‐Free, and Self‐Rectifying Resistive Memory in the Pt/Ta₂O₅/HfO_2‐x/TiN Structure

Abstract

The development of a resistance switching (RS) memory cell that contains rectification functionality in itself, highly reproducible RS performance, and electroforming‐free characteristics is an impending task for the development of resistance switching random access memory. In this work, a two‐layered dielectric structure consisting of HfO 2 and Ta 2 O 5 layers, which are in contact with the TiN and Pt electrode, is presented for achieving these tasks simultaneously in one sample configuration. The HfO 2 layer works as the resistance switching layer by trapping or detrapping of electronic carriers, whereas the Ta 2 O 5 layer remains intact during the whole switching cycle, which provides the rectification. With the optimized structure and operation conditions for the given materials, excellent RS uniformity, electroforming‐free, and self‐rectifying functionality could be simultaneously achieved from the Pt/Ta 2 O 5 /HfO 2 /TiN structure.