Resistive Switching Characteristics of Al/Si3N4/p-Si MIS-Based Resistive Switching Memory Devices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a silicon nitride-based RRAM device with self-rectifying behavior using p-type silicon as the bottom electrode, leading to lower operating currents and potential for selector-free memory applications.

Contribution

Introduces a novel Al/Si3N4/p-Si MIS-based RRAM device with self-rectifying properties, reducing current and enabling selector-free operation compared to conventional structures.

Findings

Exhibits intrinsic diode property with non-linear I-V behavior.

Significantly lowers operating current in all bias regions.

Potential for application in selector-free RRAM devices.

Abstract

In this study, we proposed and demonstrated a self-rectifying property of silicon nitride (Si3N4)-based resistive random access memory device by employing p-type silicon (p-Si) as bottom electrode. The RRAM devices consisted of Al/Si3N4/p-Si are fabricated by a low presure chemical vapor deposition and exhibited an intrinsic diode property with non-linear current-voltage (I-V) behavior. In addition, compared to conventional metal/insulator/metal (MIM) structure of Al/Si3N4/Ti RRAM cells, operating current in whole bias regions for proposed metal/insulator/semiconductor (MIS) cells has been dramatically lowered because introduced p-Si bottom electrode efficiently suppresses the current in both low and high resistive states. As a result, the results mean that by employing p-Si as bottom electrode the Si3N4-based RRAM cells can be applied to selector-free RRAM cells.