Metal-oxide resistive random access memory (RRAM) technology: Material and operation details and ramifications

Abstract Detailed operational and intrinsic switching characteristics for hafnia-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) are presented, including materials/vacancy engineering ramifications. The entire set of reported experimental data and material structure modeling and transport simulation results are consistent with the physical picture of the RRAM operations as caused by oxidation/reduction processes in a conducting filament formed in the dielectric. The outcome of the filament formation process establishes initial structural conditions for the subsequent switching operations. A microscopic description of these processes, the framework of which is presented here, directly links the device electrical and material characteristics, thus enabling improving device performance through optimization of the material compositional profile and operation conditions.