Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta 2O 5-x thin films

Moon Jee Yoon; Shin Buhm Lee; Hyang Keun Yoo; Soobin Sinn; Bo Soo Kang

doi:10.1016/j.cap.2011.11.017

Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta ₂O _5-x thin films

Moon Jee Yoon, Shin Buhm Lee, Hyang Keun Yoo, Soobin Sinn, Bo Soo Kang

Department of Physics and Chemistry

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta ₂O _5-x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta ₂O _5-x/Pt, Ni/Ta ₂O _5-x/Pt, and Ti/Ta ₂O _5-x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta ₂O _5-x thin film.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	846-848
Number of pages	3
Journal	Current Applied Physics
Volume	12
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2011.11.017
State	Published - May 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea grants funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology ( 2009-0080567 and 2010-0020416 ; B.S.K.: 2011-0004004 ). S.B.L. was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government [ NRF-2011-354-C00031 ].

Keywords

Dielectric breakdown
Resistance random-access memory
Unipolar resistance switching

Access to Document

10.1016/j.cap.2011.11.017

Cite this

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title = "Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta 2O 5-x thin films",

abstract = "We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta 2O 5-x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, Ni/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, and Ti/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta 2O 5-x thin film.",

keywords = "Dielectric breakdown, Resistance random-access memory, Unipolar resistance switching",

author = "Yoon, {Moon Jee} and Lee, {Shin Buhm} and Yoo, {Hyang Keun} and Soobin Sinn and Kang, {Bo Soo}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea grants funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology ( 2009-0080567 and 2010-0020416 ; B.S.K.: 2011-0004004 ). S.B.L. was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government [ NRF-2011-354-C00031 ].",

year = "2012",

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doi = "10.1016/j.cap.2011.11.017",

language = "English",

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T1 - Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta 2O 5-x thin films

AU - Yoon, Moon Jee

AU - Lee, Shin Buhm

AU - Yoo, Hyang Keun

AU - Sinn, Soobin

AU - Kang, Bo Soo

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea grants funded by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology ( 2009-0080567 and 2010-0020416 ; B.S.K.: 2011-0004004 ). S.B.L. was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government [ NRF-2011-354-C00031 ].

PY - 2012/5

Y1 - 2012/5

N2 - We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta 2O 5-x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, Ni/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, and Ti/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta 2O 5-x thin film.

AB - We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta 2O 5-x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, Ni/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt, and Ti/Ta 2O 5-x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta 2O 5-x thin film.

KW - Dielectric breakdown

KW - Resistance random-access memory

KW - Unipolar resistance switching

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