Low-Power and High-Reliability Gadolinium Oxide Resistive Switching Memory with Remote Ammonia Plasma Treatment

The effects of remote NH3 plasma treatment on a Pt/GdxOy/W resistive random access memory (RRAM) metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structure were investigated. We found that a decrease in the electron barrier height caused by nitrogen incorporation at the Pt–GdxOy interface can help reduce the operational set and reset voltages. Nitrogen atoms from the NH3 plasma prevent oxygen atoms in the film from diffusing through Pt grain boundaries into the atmosphere, resulting in superior retention properties (>104 s). The stability of the endurance behavior of GdxOy RRAMs was significantly improved owing to the passivation of defects in GdxOy films by nitrogen and hydrogen atoms from the remote NH3 plasma, markedly reducing plasma damage.