Scaling-down characteristics of nanoscale diamond-like carbon based resistive switching memories

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 75; pp. 255 - 261
• Main Authors: Xu, Jianlong, Xie, Dan, Feng, Tingting, Zhang, Chenhui, Zhang, Xiaowen, Peng, Pinggang, Fu, Di, Qian, He, Ren, Tian-ling, Liu, Litian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Carbon; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Diamond-like carbon films; Dielectric breakdown and space-charge effects; Dielectric properties of solids and liquids; Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties; Electric fields; Electric fuses; Electrically conductive; Electron states; Exact sciences and technology; Fatigue, brittleness, fracture, and cracks; High voltages; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Mechanical and acoustical properties of condensed matter; Mechanical properties of solids; Methods of electronic structure calculations; Nanostructure; Physics; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Switching; Forming processes; Random-access storage; Electric breakdown; Device; Diamond-like carbon; Nanostructures; Switching; Electrodes; Chemical reduction; Nanometer scale; Non volatile memory; Electric field effects; Scaling laws; Electron mobility
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.03.061

A nonvolatile resistive switching random access memory (RRAM) device based on the diamond-like carbon (DLC) films and the inert metal electrodes was demonstrated. A typical unipolar resistive switching (RS) behavior without high voltage “forming process” is observed. It exhibits good scaling-down properties when negligible dependence upon the cell area is observed for VSET and IRESET decreases with the reduction of the cell area, which is suitable for practical nonvolatile memory applications. Investigations on the electron transport characteristics at HRS and LRS indicate that Frenkel–Poole emission and Ohmic Laws dominate the LRS and HRS states, respectively. Based on the conduction mechanism studies, the RS behavior is found to arise from the formation and rupture of conductive sp2-like graphitic filaments originating from the connection of conductive sp2-like carbon bonds in the predominantly sp3-like insulating carbon matrix through the electric field induced dielectric breakdown process and thermal fuse effects.