Silicon-Compatible Memristive Devices Tailored by Laser and Thermal Treatments

Nowadays, memristors are of considerable interest to researchers and engineers due to the promise they hold for the creation of power-efficient memristor-based information or computing systems. In particular, this refers to memristive devices based on the resistive switching phenomenon, which in most cases are fabricated in the form of metal-insulator-metal structures. At the same time, the demand for compatibility with the standard fabrication process of complementary metal-oxide semiconductors makes it relevant from a practical point of view to fabricate memristive devices directly on a silicon or SOI (silicon on insulator) substrate. Here we have investigated the electrical characteristics and resistive switching of SiOx- and SiNx-based memristors fabricated on SOI substrates and subjected to additional laser treatment and thermal treatment. The investigated memristors do not require electroforming and demonstrate a synaptic type of resistive switching. It is found that the parameters of resistive switching of SiOx- and SiNx-based memristors on SOI substrates are remarkably improved. In particular, the laser treatment gives rise to a significant increase in the hysteresis loop in I-V curves of SiNx-based memristors. Moreover, for SiOx-based memristors, the thermal treatment used after the laser treatment produces a notable decrease in the resistive switching voltage.