| Electrical switching requirements for resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices are multifaceted, based on device application. Thus, it is important to obtain an understanding of these switching properties and how they relate to the oxygen vacancy concentration and oxygen vacancy defects. Oxygen vacancy defects in the switching oxide of valence-change-based ReRAM (VCM ReRAM) play a significant role in device switching properties. Oxygen vacancies facilitate resistive switching as they form the conductive filament that changes the resistance state of the device. This dissertation will present two methods of modulating the defect concentration in VCM ReRAM composed of Pt/HfOx/Ti stack: 1) rapid thermal annealing (RTA) in Ar using different temperatures, and 2) doping using ion implantation under different dose levels. Metrology techniques such as x-ray diffractometry (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were utilized to characterize the HfOx switching oxide, which provided insight on the material properties and oxygen vacancy concentration in the oxide that was used to explain the changes in the electrical properties of the ReRAM devices.;The resulting impact on the resistive switching characteristics of the devices, such as the forming voltage, set and reset threshold voltages, ON and OFF resistances, resistance ratio, and switching dispersion or uniformity were explored and summarized. Annealing in Ar showed significant impact on the forming voltage, with as much as 45% (from 22V to 12 V) of improvement, as the annealing temperature was increased. However, drawbacks of a higher oxide leakage and worse switching uniformity were seen with increasing annealing temperature. Meanwhile, doping the oxide by ion implantation showed significant effects on the resistive switching characteristics. Ta doping modulated the following switching properties with increasing dose: a) the reduction of the forming voltage, and Vset and Vreset threshold voltages; b) the increase of resistance ratio, and c) the improvement of resistance dispersion. More studies are needed on ion implantation of B, as the energy that was used in this research was too much for the B to become dopants in HfOx. To further enable ReRAM integration with IC devices, behavioral models were developed using empirical data taken from real ReRAM devices. |
