A 10-nm-thick silicon oxide based high switching speed conductive bridging random access memory with ultra-low operation voltage and ultra-low LRS resistance

In this paper, a silicon oxide based conductive bridging random access memory (CBRAM) with an ultra-low operation voltage, a high switching speed, and an ultra-low resistance at low resistance state (LRS) is reported. The CBRAM has a sandwich structure with platinum and copper as electrode layers and an ultra-thin 10-nm-thick silicon oxide film as an insulating switching layer. The CBRAMs are fabricated with CMOS compatible materials and processes. DC I–V sweep characterizations show an ultra-low SET/RESET voltage of 0.35 V/−0.05 V, and the RESET voltage is the lowest among all ultra-low voltage CBRAMs. The CBRAM is capable of withstanding endurance tests with over 106 pulses of +0.4 V/−0.1 V with 1 μs pulse width, with the resistance at LRS maintaining at an ultra-low value of only 20 Ω, which is the lowest among all CBRAMs to date, and it is reduced by at least 2.95 times compared with prior studies. Meanwhile, the switching ratio between high resistance state and LRS is more than 1.49 × 104. Moreover, the switching time characterization of the CBRAM demonstrates an ultra-short SET/RESET time of 7/9 ns. The CBRAM has potential applications in high-speed, ultra-low voltage, and ultra-low power electronics.