• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.66-79
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• 2008

Several oxides have recently been reported to have resistance-switching characteristics for nonvolatile memory (NVM) applications. Both binary and ternary oxides demonstrated great potential as resistive-switching memory elements. However, the switching mechanisms have not yet been clearly understood, and the uniformity and reproducibility of devices have not been sufficient for gigabit-NVM applications. The primary requirements for oxides in memory applications are scalability, fast switching speed, good memory retention, a reasonable resistive window, and constant working voltage. In this paper, we discuss several materials that are resistive-switching elements and also focus on their switching mechanisms. We evaluated non-stoichiometric polycrystalline oxides ($Nb_2O_5$, and $ZrO_x$) and subsequently the resistive switching of $Cu_xO$ and heavily Cu-doped $MoO_x$ film for their compatibility with modem transistor-process cycles. Single-crystalline Nb-doped $SrTiO_3$ (NbSTO) was also investigated, and we found a Pt/single-crystal NbSTO Schottky junction had excellent memory characteristics. Epitaxial NbSTO film was grown on an Si substrate using conducting TiN as a buffer layer to introduce single-crystal NbSTO into the CMOS process and preserve its excellent electrical characteristics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.285-285
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• 2016

Resistive random access memory devices have been widely studied due to their high performance characteristics, such as high scalability, fast switching, and low power consumption. However, fluctuation in operational parameters remains a critical weakness that leads to device failures. Although the random formation and rupture of conducting filaments (CFs) in an oxide matrix during resistive switching processes have been proposed as the origin of such fluctuations, direct observations of the formation and rupture of CFs at the device scale during resistive switching processes have been limited by the lack of real-time large-area imaging methods. Here, a novel imaging method is proposed for monitoring CF formation and rupture across the whole area of a memory cell during resistive switching. A hybrid structure consisting of a resistive random access memory and a light-emitting diode enables real-time monitoring of CF configuration during various resistive switching processes including forming, semi-forming, stable/unstable set/reset switching, and repetitive set switching over 50 cycles.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.353-353
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 Sputter를 이용하여 Room Temp.에서 증착된 NbOx 박막의 열처리에 따른 결정도를 분석하고, 이러한 결정도의 변화가 Metal Insulator Transition특성에 의한 Threshold switching에 어떠한 영향을 미치는 지에 대하여 연구하였다. NbOx 박막의 threshold switching 특성 분석을 위해, 1.4um의 TiN 위에 15nm의 NbOx를 증착하고 Top Electrode로 Pt를 증착하여 측정하였다. 증착된 NbOx는 Nb metal target으로 Reactive Sputter를 이용하여 Room Temp.에서 증착하였으며, 조성은 Partial Oxygen Pressure를 이용하여 조절하였다. 증착된 박막의 결정도는 TEM 및 XRD를 통하여 분석하였고 조성은 XPS를 이용하여 분석하였다. Sputter로 NbOx 증착 시 Partial Oxygen Pressure에 따른 조성을 XPS로 확인한 결과, Partial Oxygen Pressure 2%에서 NbOx의 조성을, 5%이상일 경우, Nb2O5의 조성을 가지는 것으로 확인되었다. Partial Oxygen Pressure 2%에서 증착한 NbOx 박막의 열처리에 따른 결정도를 분석한 결과, As-Dep상태에서는 amorphous상태였다가 600'C이상으로 1분간 열처리를 하였을 때 NbOx의 결정도가 증가함을 확인하였다. I-V 특성 측정 결과, 열처리 온도가 증가함에 따라 initial current가 점진적으로 증가하는 경향을 보이는데, 이는 열처리 시 amorphous상에서 poly-crystalline으로 미세구조의 변화가 일어나면서 grain boundary가 생성되며 생성된 grain boundary를 통해 leakage current가 증가하는 것으로 추측된다. 또한, 결정도가 증가함에 따라 electro-forming voltage가 감소하는 경향을 보이며 안정된 threshold switching 특성을 보이고 있다. 특히, 700'C 1분간 열처리 시에는 electro-forming 과정이 없이 threshold switching이 나타나는 현상이 관찰되었다. 이로 미루어 보아, threshold switching에서 나타나는 forming 현상은 local joule heating에 의해 박막이 결정화 되는 과정으로 추측된다. 결론적으로, 박막의 결정도가 initial current 및 Threshold switching 특성에 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 예상된다.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2007

The crystallization temperature in GeTe solid electrolyte films was improved by in situ-nitrogen doping by rf magnetron co-sputtering technique at room temperature. The crystallization temperature of $250\;^{\circ}C$ in electrolyte films without nitrogen doping increased by approximately $300\;^{\circ}C$, $350\;^{\circ}C$, and above $400\;^{\circ}C$ in films deposited with nitrogen/argon flow ratios of 10, 20, and 30 %, respectively. A PMC memory device with $Ge_{45}Te_{55}$ solid electrolytes deposited with nitrogen/argon flow ratios of 20 % shows reproducible memory switching characteristics based on resistive switching at threshold voltage of 1.2 V with high $R_{off}/R_{on}$ ratios. Nitrogen doping into the silver saturated GeTe electrolyte films improves the crystallization temperature of electrolyte films and does not appear to have a negative impact on the switching characteristics of PMC memory devices.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.359-360
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• 2013

The effect of electrode and deposition methods on non-linear interfacial resistive switching in HfO2 based $250{\times}250$ nm2 cross-point device was studied. HfO2 based device has the interfacial resistive switching properties of non-linearity and self-compliance current switching. The operating current in HfO2 based device was increased with negatively increasing the heat of formation energy in top electrode. Also, it was investigated that the operating current in HfO2 based device was changed with deposition methods of O3 reactant ALD, H2O reactant ALD and dc reactive sputtering, resulting the magnitude of the operating current and on/off ratio in order of HfO2 films deposited by dc reactive sputtering, H2O reactant ALD, and O3 reactant ALD. To investigate the effect of electrode and deposition methods on operating current of non-linear interfacial resistive switching in the cross-point device, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was measured. Through the analysis of O 1s spectra, non-lattice oxygen concentration, which is closely related to oxygen vacancies, was increased in order of Pt, TiN, and Ti top electrodes and in order of O3 reactant ALD, H2O reactant ALD, and O3 reactant ALD, and dc reactive sputtering deposition method. From all results, non-lattice oxygen concentration in ultra-thin HfO2 films play a crucial role in the operating current and memory states (LRS & HRS) in the non-linear interfacial resistive switching.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.02a
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• pp.410-410
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• 2013

Next-generation nonvolatile memory (NVM) has attracted increasing attention about emerging NVMs such as ferroelectric random access memory, phase-change random access memory, magnetic random access memory and resistance random access memory (RRAM). Previous studies have demonstrated that RRAM is promising because of its excellent properties, including simple structure, high speed and high density integration. Many research groups have reported a lot of metal oxides as resistive materials like TiO2, NiO, SrTiO3 and ZnO [1]. Among them, the ZnO-based film is one of the most promising materials for RRAM because of its good switching characteristics, reliability and high transparency [2]. However, in many studies about ZnO-based RRAMs, there was a problem to get lower current level for reducing the operating power dissipation and improving the device reliability such an endurance and an retention time of memory devices. Thus in this paper, we investigated that highly reproducible bipolar resistive switching characteristics of W doped ZnO RRAM device and it showed low resistive switching current level and large ON/OFF ratio. This may be caused by the interdiffusion of the W atoms in the ZnO film, whch serves as dopants, and leakage current would rise resulting in the lowering of current level [3]. In this work, a ZnO film and W doped ZnO film were fabricated on a Si substrate using RF magnetron sputtering from ZnO and W targets at room temperature with Ar gas ambient, and compared their current levels. Compared with the conventional ZnO-based RRAM, the W doped ZnO ReRAM device shows the reduction of reset current from ~$10^{-6}$ A to ~$10^{-9}$ A and large ON/OFF ratio of ~$10^3$ along with self-rectifying characteristic as shown in Fig. 1. In addition, we observed good endurance of $10^3$ times and retention time of $10^4$ s in the W doped ZnO ReRAM device. With this advantageous characteristics, W doped ZnO thin film device is a promising candidates for CMOS compatible and high-density RRAM devices.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.268-273
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• 2016

In this study, we observed current-voltage characteristics of the MIM (metal-insulator-metal) structure. The $WO_x$ material was used between metal electrodes as the oxide insulator. The structure of the $Al/WO_x/TiN$ shows bipolar resistive switching and the operating direction of the resistive switching is clockwise, which means set at negative voltage and reset at positive voltage. The set process from HRS (high resistance state) to LRS (low resistance state) occurred at -2.6V. The reset process from LRS to HRS occurred at 2.78V. The on/off current ratio was about 10 and resistive switching was performed for 5 cycles in the endurance characteristics. With consecutive switching cycles, the stable $V_{set}$ and $V_{reset}$ were observed. The electrical transport mechanism of the device was based on the migration of oxygen ions and the current-voltage curve is following (Ohm's Law ${\rightarrow}$ Trap-Controlled Space Charge Limited Current ${\rightarrow}$ Ohm's Law) process in the positive voltage region.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.286-287
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• 2012

Reset-first resistive switching mechanism based on reduction reaction in HfO2-x with oxygen drift-diffusion was studied. we first report that the indirect evidence of local filamentary conductive path formation in bulk HfO2 film with local TiOx region at Ti top electrode formed during forming process and presence of anion-migration at interface between electrode and HfO2 during resistive switching through high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron disperse x-ray (EDX), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) mapping. Based on forming process mechanism, we expected that redox reaction from Ti/HfO2 to TiOx/HfO2-x was responsible for an increase of initial current with increasing the post-annealing process. First-reset resistive switching in above $350^{\circ}C$ annealed Ti/HfO2 film was exhibited and the redox phenomenon from Ti/HfO2 to TiOx/HfO2-x was observed with high angle annular dark field (HAADF) - scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), EDX and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Therefore, we demonstrated that the migration of oxygen ions at interface region under external electrical bias contributed to bipolar resistive switching behavior.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2020

This study demonstrates direct-patternable amorphous TiO_x resistive switching (RS) device and the fabrication method using photochemical metal-organic deposition (PMOD). For making photosensitive stock solutions, Ti(IV) 2-ethylhexanoate was used as starting precursor. Photochemical reaction by UV exposure was observed and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the reaction was completed within 10 minutes. Uniformly formed 20 nm thick amorphous TiO_x film was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Amorphous TiO_x RS device, formed as 6 × 6 ㎛ square on 4 ㎛ width electrode, showed forming-less RS behavior in ±4 V and on/off ratio ≈ 20 at 0.1 V. This result shows PMOD process could be applied for low temperature processed ReRAM device and/or low cost, flexible memory device.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.324-331
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• 2013

In this paper, we implemented memristor emulator circuit on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and observed the inherent pinched hysteresis characteristic of memristors by measuring the emulator circuit on PCB. The memristor emulator circuit implemented on PCB is composed of simple discrete devices not using any complicated circuit blocks thus we can integrate the memristor emulator circuits in very small layout area on Silicon substrate. The programmable gain amplifier is designed using the proposed memristor emulator circuit and verified that the amplifier's voltage gain can be controlled by programming memristance of the emulator circuit by circuit simulation. Threshold switching is also realized in the proposed emulator circuit thus memristance can remain unchanged when the input voltage applied to the emulator circuit is lower than VREF. The memristor emulator circuit and the programmable gain amplifier using the proposed circuit can be useful in teaching the device operation, functions, characteristics, and applications of memristors to students when thet cannot access to device and fabrication technologies of real memristors.