The role of the inserted layer in resistive random access memory device

Abstract

NiO resistive switching devices were fabricated by reactive DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature containing different inserted layers. From measurements, we demonstrated the filaments were made up by metal Co rather than the oxygen defect or other metal. A current jumping phenomenon in the SET process was observed, evidencing that the filament generating procedure was changed due to the inserted layers. In this process, we demonstrate the current jumping appeared in higher voltage region when the position of inserted layer was close to the bottom electrode. The I-V curves shifted to the positive direction as the thickness of inserted layer increasing. With the change of the number of inserted layers, SET voltages varied while the RESET voltage kept stable. According to the electrochemical metallization memory mechanism, detailed explanations on all the phenomena were addressed. This discovery is supposed of great potentials in the use of designing multi-layer RRAM devices.