Unravelling the Data Retention Mechanisms under Thermal Stress on 2D Memristors

Memristors based on two-dimensional (2D) materials are a rapidly growing research area due to their potential in energy-efficient in-memory processing and neuromorphic computing. However, the data retention of these emerging memristors remains sparsely investigated, despite its crucial importance to device performance and reliability. In this study, we employ kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations to investigate the data retention of a 2D planar memristor. The operation of the memristor depends on field-driven on defect migration, while thermal diffusion gradually evens the defect distribution, leading to the degradation of the high resistance state (HRS) and diminishing the ON/OFF ratio. Notably, we examine the resilience of devices based on single crystals of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in harsh environments. Specifically, our simulations show that MoS₂-based devices have negligible degradation after 10 years of thermal annealing at 400 K. Furthermore, the variability in data retention lifetime across different temperatures is less than 22%, indicating a relatively consistent performance over a range of thermal conditions. We also demonstrate that device miniaturization does not compromise data retention lifetime. Moreover, employing materials with higher activation energy for defect migration can significantly enhance data retention at the cost of increased switching voltage. These findings shed light on the behavior of 2D memristors and pave the way for their optimization in practical applications.