Forming-Free Performance Of A-Sin&Itx&It :H-Based Resistive Switching Memory Obtained By Oxygen Plasma Treatment

An a-SiNx-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) device with a forming-free characteristic has significant potentials for the industrialization of the next-generation memories. We demonstrate that a forming-free a-SiNxOy RRAM device can be achieved by an oxygen plasma treatment of ultra-thin a-SiNx:H films Electron spin resonance spectroscopy reveals that Si dangling bonds with a high density (10(19) cm(-3)) are distributed in the initial state, which exist in the forms of Si2N Si center dot, SiO2 Si center dot, O-3 Si center dot, and N-3 Si center dot. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-dependent current analyses reveal that the silicon dangling bonds induced by the oxygen plasma treatment and external electric field contribute to the low resistance state (LRS). For the high resistance state (HRS), the rupture of the silicon dangling bond pathway is attributed to the partial passivation of Si dangling bonds by H+ and O-2(-). Both LRS and HRS transmissions obey the hopping conduction model. The proposed oxygen plasma treatment, introduced to generate a high density of Si dangling bonds in the SiNxOy:H films, provides a new approach to forming-free RRAM devices.