Rectifying resistance switching behaviors of SnO2 microsphere films modulated by top electrodes

Based on the bipolar resistive switching (RS) characteristics of SnO₂ films, we have fabricated a new prototypical device with sandwiched structure of Metal/SnO₂/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). The SnO₂ microspheres film was grown on FTO glass by template-free hydrothermal synthesis, which was evaporated with various commonly used electrodes such as aluminium (Al), silver (Ag), and gold (Au), respectively. Typical self-rectifying resistance switching behaviors were observed for the RS devices with Al and Au electrodes. However, no obvious rectifying resistance switching behavior was observed for the RS device with Ag electrode. Above results were interpreted by considering the different interface barriers between SnO₂ and top metal electrodes. Our current studies pave the ways for modulating the self-rectifying resistance switching properties of resistive memory devices by choosing suitable metal electrodes.     

Reversible changes between bipolar and unipolar resistance-switching phenomena in a Pt/SrTiOx/Pt cell

We find that resistance switching (RS) phenomena change reversibly between bipolar RS (BRS) and unipolar RS (URS) in a Pt/SrTiO_x/Pt cell. For an asymmetric electrode configuration of Ti/SrTiO_x/Pt cells whose top and bottom interfaces are Ohmic and Schottky-like rectifying, we determine that BRS only occurs when a positive voltage is applied to the bottom Pt electrode at the forming process. During the set process of BRS in a Pt/SrTiO_x/Pt cell, O₂ bubbles develop on the top Pt electrode. From the experimental results for a single sample in which both BRS and URS occur, O^2? ion movement and consequent interfacial resistance modification might play an important role in BRS but not URS.     

Fabrication of piezoelectric AlN thin film for FBARs

This paper focuses on the fabrication of film bulk acoustic-wave resonator (FBAR) comprising an aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric thin film sandwiched between two metal electrodes and located on a silicon substrate with a low-stress silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) support membrane for high frequency wireless applications, and analyzes the optimization of the thin AlN film deposition parameters on Mo electrodes using the reactive RF magnetron sputter system. Several critical parameters of the sputtering process such as RF power and Ar/N₂ flow rate ratio were studied to clarify their effects on different electrodes characteristics of the AlN films. The experiment indicated that the process for Mo electrode was easier compared with that of the Pt/Ti or Au/Cr bi-layer electrode as it entailed only one photo resist and metal deposition step. Besides, Pt/Ti or Au/Cr electrodes reduced the resonance frequency due to their high mass density and low bulk acoustic velocity. Compared with the case of the Al bottom electrode, there is no evident amorphous layer between the Mo bottom electrode and the deposited AlN film. The characteristics of the FBAR devices depend not only upon the thickness and quality of the AlN film, but also upon the thickness of the top electrode and the materials used. The results indicate that decreasing the thickness of either the AlN film or the top electrode increases the resonance frequency. This suggests the potential of tuning the performance of the FBAR device by carefully controlling AlN film thickness. Besides, increasing either the thickness of the AlN film or higher RF power has improved a stronger c-axis orientation and tended to promote a narrower rocking curve full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), but increased both the grain size and the surface roughness. An FBAR device fabricated under optimal AlN deposition parameters has demonstrated the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (k _eff²) and the quality factor (Q _{f x} ) are about 1.5% and 332, respectively.     

Electrochemical lithium incorporation into WO3 and MoO3 thin films

The generally accepted mechanism of electrochromic phenomena into WO₃ thin films involves the simultaneous injection of cations and electrons to form a tungsten bronze M_xWO₃, e.g. H_xWO₃,Li_xWO₃. Electrochromic cells of the type ITO MO₃/LiClO₄(M) in propylene carbonate/Pt, where M = W or MO and MO₃ is an amorphous thin film have been used. Different amounts of charges have been injected through these cells by electrochemical means at room temperature. The variations of the MO₃ electrode potential with the injected charge are in good agreement with the assumption of the formation of Li_xMO₃ compounds. The free enthalpies of formation of these bronzes have been calculated. The behavior of thin film electrodes seems to be intermediate between amorphous and crystallized bulky materials. Some measurements of electrode potential have also been carried out with crystallized thin films of sputtered WO₃.     

Platinum–aluminum alloy electrode for retention improvement of gadolinium oxide resistive switching memory

Platinum–aluminum (Pt–Al) alloy top electrode on the retention improvement of gadolinium oxide (Gd _x O _y ) resistive switching memory was investigated. The aluminum oxide (Al _x O _y ) formation at the Pt–Al alloy top electrode and Gd _x O _y interface will lead to the high Schottky barrier height. Further, the more aluminum incorporation can suppress the crystallization of platinum electrode after the post-metallization annealing. Both the crystallization suppression of Pt top electrode and the interfacial aluminum oxide formation will prevent the oxygen ions from out-diffusion through Pt grain boundaries, responsible for the retention enhancement of the Gd _x O _y resistive switching memory.     

Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta2O5−x thin films

We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta₂O_5−x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt, Ni/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt, and Ti/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta₂O_5−x thin film.     

Vanadium- and Titanium Dioxide-Based Memristors Fabricated via Pulsed Laser Deposition

Thin TiO _x and VO_{2 – x} films are fabricated via pulsed laser deposition from metal targets with the help of mask technologies. Their memristive properties are investigated using Au/TiO_x1/TiO_x2/Au and Au/VO₂/VO_{2 – x}/Au thin-film structures, and the possible mechanisms of resistive switching are discussed. The structures are obtained at room temperature in an oxygen atmosphere.     

Electrochromic properties of WO3 thin film onto gold nanoparticles modified indium tin oxide electrodes

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) thin films, electrochemically deposited from hydrogen tetrachloroaurate onto transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film coated glass, have different color prepared by variation of the deposition condition. The color of GNP film can vary from pale red to blue due to different particle size and their interaction. The characteristic of GNPs modified ITO electrodes was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and cyclic voltammetry. WO₃ thin films were fabricated by sol-gel method onto the surface of GNPs modified electrode to form the WO₃/GNPs composite films. The electrochromic properties of WO₃/GNPs composite modified ITO electrode were investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. It was found that the electrochromic performance of WO₃/GNPs composite films was improved in comparison with a single component system of WO₃.     

Role of oxygen vacancies formed between top electrodes and epitaxial NiO films in bipolar resistance switching

We investigated bipolar resistance switching (RS) behavior of a top electrode/epitaxial NiO using Al and Pt as the top electrodes (TEs) and epitaxial NiO deposited at 500 °C (NiO-500) and 700 °C (NiO-700). We found that the contact between Al and Pt TEs and NiO-500 was a high resistance insulating contact, while the contact between the two TEs and NiO-700 was a low-resistance metallic contact. We also found that only NiO-500 with the Pt TE exhibited bipolar RS after an electroforming process. This study suggests that during the formation of the Pt/NiO-500 interface, the amount and behavior of oxygen at the interface seem to play the most important role in bipolar RS behavior. In order to improve the device performance, better control of oxygen content and its movement at the interface seems necessary.     

Investigation of resistive switching behaviours in WO3-based RRAM devices

In this paper, a WO₃-based resistive random access memory device composed of a thin film of WO₃ sandwiched between a copper top and a platinum bottom electrodes is fabricated by electron beam evaporation at room temperature. The reproducible resistive switching, low power consumption, multilevel storage possibility, and good data retention characteristics demonstrate that the Cu/WO₃/Pt memory device is very promising for future nonvolatile memory applications. The formation and rupture of localised conductive filaments is suggested to be responsible for the observed resistive switching behaviours.     

Ferroelectric polarization and resistive switching characteristics of ion beam assisted sputter deposited BaTiO3 thin films

In this work, 150 nm thick polycrystalline BaTiO₃ (BTO) films were deposited on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrate by ion beam assisted sputter deposition technique. The bias voltage dependent resistive switching (RS) and ferroelectric polarization characteristics of Au/BTO/Pt devices are investigated. The devices display the stable bipolar RS characteristics without an initial electroforming process. Fittings to current–voltage (I–V) curves suggest that low and high resistance states are governed, respectively, by filamentary model and trap controlled space charge limited conduction mechanism, where the oxygen vacancies act as traps. Presence of oxygen vacancies is evidenced from the photoluminescence spectrum. The devices also display P–V loops with remnant polarization (P_r) of 5.7 μC/cm² and a coercive electric field (E_c) of 173.0 kV/cm. The coupling between the ferroelectric polarization and RS effect in BTO films is demonstrated.     

Effect of buffer layer on VOx film fabrication by reactive RF sputtering

Vanadium oxide VO_x films were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering on various metal buffer layers or silica glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 400 °C. V₂O₅ film was fabricated on a silica glass substrate, and VO₂ films were fabricated on V, W, Fe, Ni, Ti, and Pt metal buffer layers. The transition temperature of the sample on the V buffer layer was 68 °C and that on the W buffer layer was 53 °C. The VO₂ film was also fabricated on the V buffer layer by non-reactive sputtering using a V₂O₅ target at a substrate temperature of 400 °C.     

The improvement of pyroelectric properties of PZT thick films on Si substrate by TiOx barrier layer

The effects of TiO_x diffusion barrier layer thickness on the microstructure and pyroelectric characteristics of PZT thick films were studied in this paper. The TiO_x layer was prepared by thermal oxidation of Ti thin film in air and the PZT thick films were fabricated by electrophoresis deposition method (EPD). To demonstrate the barrier effect of TiO_x layer, the electrode/substrate interface and Si content in PZT thick films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The TiO_x barrier thickness shows significant influence on the bottom electrode and the pyroelectric performance of the PZT thick films. The average pyroelectric coefficient of PZT films deposited on 400 nm TiO_x layer was about 8.94 × 10⁻⁹ C/(cm² K), which was improved by 70% than those without diffusion barrier layer. The results showed in this study indicate that TiO_x barrier layer has great potential in fabrication of PZT pyroelectric device.     

Improved dielectric and electrical properties of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 thin films using Pt/LaNiO3 as the top-electrode material

(Ba,Sr)TiO₃ (BST) capacitors grown on a LaNiO₃ (LNO) bottom electrode, with Pt (80 nm), LNO (100 nm), and double-layer Pt/LNO (80/10 nm) top electrodes have been investigated. It was found that the dielectric behavior is improved by a decrease of the electrical properties for the BST capacitor using double-layer Pt/LNO top electrodes. The dielectric constant of 100 nm-thick BST films with a Pt electrode was only 165 at 100 kHz, while that with a double-layer electrode was about 242. Correspondingly, the tunability was greatly improved from 26% to 41% with an electric field of 600 kV/cm. These have been attributed to increased interfacial capacitance density, which resulted from an improved interface, between the films and the top electrode. The dielectric loss was also reduced by using a double-layer electrode. Furthermore, the leakage current of a capacitor with a double-layer Pt/LNO electrode was one order of magnitude lower than that with a single LNO electrode. It can be explained by the fact that the weak chemical interaction between LNO (10 nm) and BST causes a high potential barrier at the interface. PACS 81.15.-z; 81.15.Cd; 77.55.+f; 77.84.Dy; 77.22.-d     

Compositional dependence of ferroelectric properties of highly c-axis oriented Bi4−xNdxTi3O12 film capacitors

Highly c-axis oriented neodymium-modified bismuth titanate (Bi_4−xNd_xTi₃O₁₂) films having a variety of neodymium (Nd) contents were successfully grown on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates using metal-organic sol decomposition. After systematically examining ferroelectric properties of the c-axis oriented Bi_4−xNd_xTi₃O₁₂ film capacitors as a function of the Nd-content, we concluded that the capacitor with x=0.85 had the largest remanent polarization. The Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ capacitor fabricated using a top Pt electrode showed well-saturated polarization-electric field (P-E) switching curves with the remanent polarization (P_r) of 51 μC/cm² and the coercive field (E_c) of 99 kV/cm at an applied voltage of 10 V. More importantly, the Pt/Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂/Pt capacitor exhibited fatigue-free behavior up to 4.5×10¹⁰ read/write switching cycles at a frequency of 1 MHz. The capacitor also demonstrated an excellent charge-retaining ability and a strong resistance against the imprinting failure.     

Improving the dielectric constant of Al2O3 by cerium substitution for high-k MIM applications

Process compatible high-k dielectric thin films are one of the key solutions to develop high performance metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structures for future microelectronic devices. Engineered cerium–aluminate (Ce_xAl_2–xO₃) thin films were deposited on titanium nitride metal electrodes by electron-beam co-evaporation of ceria and alumina in a molecular beam deposition chamber. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy clearly reveals that Ce cations can be stabilized in the 3+ valence state in Ce_xAl_2–xO₃ up to x = 0.7 by accommodation in the alumina host matrix. Higher Ce content was observed to result in cerium dioxide segregation in cerium aluminate matrix, probably due to the chemical tendency of Ce cations to exist rather in the 4+ than in the 3+ state. Electrical characterization of the X-ray amorphous Ce_0.7Al_1.3O₃ films reveals a dielectric constant value of about 11 and leakage current lower than 10^?4 A/cm². No parasitic low-k interface formation between the high-k Ce_0.7Al_1.3O₃ film and the TiN metal electrode is detected.     

Promotion effect of Pt on a SnO2–WO3 material for NOx sensing

Metal-oxide nanocomposites were prepared over screen-printed gold electrodes to be used as room-temperature NO_x (nitric-oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)) sensors. Various weight ratios of SnO₂–WO₃ and Pt loadings were used for NO sensing. The sensing materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and BET surface analysis. The NO-sensing results indicated that SnO₂–WO₃ (1:2) was more effective than other materials were. The sensor response (S=resistance of N₂/resistance of NO=R_N2/R_NO) for detecting 1000 ppm of NO at room temperature was 2.6. The response time (T₉₀) and recovery time (TR₉₀) was 40 s and 86 s, respectively. By further loading with 0.5% Pt, the sensor response increased to 3.3. The response and recovery times of 0.5% Pt/SnO₂–WO₃ (1:2) were 40 s and 206 s, respectively. The linearity of the sensor response for a NO concentration range of 10–1000 ppm was 0.9729. A mechanism involving Pt promotion of the SnO₂–WO₃ heterojunction was proposed for NO adsorption, surface reaction, and adsorbed NO₂ desorption.     

Ultraviolet light emissions from N2 microplasma electrically induced by metal-insulator-semiconductor devices

Various metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices in the form of Au/SiO_x(x<2)/Si, Au/AlO_y(y<1.5)/Si, Au/SiO_x/ZnO and Au/AlO_y/ZnO have been fabricated. For each device, once a sufficiently high positive voltage is applied on the Au electrode, the same ultraviolet (UV) emission with a spectrum featuring several specific peaks is detected. Interestingly, such UV emissions related to the MIS devices originate from the external N₂ microplasma. It is believed that at the high enough positive voltages the highly energetic electrons emitted out of the Au electrode activate the air to generate the N₂ microplasma.     

Surface plasmon resonance response of Au–WO3?x composite films

Surface plasmon resonance of metal–dielectric composite thin films formed by noble metal nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix offers a high degree of flexibility and enables many applications such as surface enhanced spectroscopes, and biological and chemical sensing. In this article, Au–WO_3−x composite films of various Au contents and thicknesses were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition technique, and their SPR responses were measured in the Kreschmann geometry, using a polarized light beam at 640 nm wavelength. Theoretical calculation of SPR responses based on the Bruggeman or Maxwell–Garnett model with the MacLeod general characteristic matrix method is in obvious discrepancy with experimental measurements but it is able to predict the trend in term of the dependence of SPR responses on Au content and thickness of the Au–WO_3−x films. The SPR responses of the Au–WO_3−x films when exposed to NO gas molecules were measured and the preliminary results indicated that gas sensing using the SPR responses of metal–dielectric composite films is feasible.     

New approach to the growth of SiOx nanowire bunch using Au catalyst and SiNx film on Si substrate

SiO_x nanowire bunches were fabricated on a SiN_x film with Au catalytic metal in the presence of an Ar flow of 50 sccm at 1150 °C. The resulting samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A SiN_x film serves as a barrier to the diffusion of Si atoms from the Si substrate to the catalytic Au metal, where a substrate is a Si source material for SiO_x nanowire (NW) growth. Using this process, we could temporally control the initial growth step of SiO_x NWs and easily grow the NW bunch.