Nanometallic devices based on amorphous insulator-metal thin films are
developed to provide a novel non-volatile resistance-switching random-access
memory (RRAM). In these devices, data recording is controlled by a bipolar
voltage, which tunes electron localization length, thus resistivity, through
electron trapping/detrapping. The low-resistance state is a metallic state
while the high-resistance state is an insulating state, as established by
conductivity studies from 2K to 300K. The material is exemplified by a Si3N4
thin film with randomly dispersed Pt or Cr. It has been extended to other
materials, spanning a large library of oxide and nitride insulator films,
dispersed with transition and main-group metal atoms. Nanometallic RRAMs have
superior properties that set them apart from other RRAMs. The critical
switching voltage is independent of the film thickness/device
area/temperature/switching speed. Trapped electrons are relaxed by
electron-phonon interaction, adding stability which enables long-term memory
retention. As electron-phonon interaction is mechanically altered, trapped
electron can be destabilized, and sub-picosecond switching has been
demonstrated using an electromagnetically generated stress pulse. AC impedance
spectroscopy confirms the resistance state is spatially uniform, providing a
capacitance that linearly scales with area and inversely scales with thickness.
The spatial uniformity is also manifested in outstanding uniformity of
switching properties. Device degradation, due to moisture, electrode oxidation
and dielectrophoresis, is minimal when dense thin films are used or when a
hermetic seal is provided. The potential for low power operation, multi-bit
storage and complementary stacking have been demonstrated in various RRAM
configurations.Comment: 523 pages, 215 figures, 10 chapter
