SPICE modeling of flux-controlled unipolar memristive devices

Unipolar memristive devices are an important kind of resistive switching devices. However, few circuit models of them have been proposed. In this paper, we propose the SPICE modeling of flux-controlled unipolar memristive devices based on the memristance versus state map. Using our model, the flux thresholds, ON and OFF resistance, and compliance current can easily be set as model parameters. We simulate the model in HSPICE using model parameters abstracted from real devices, and the simulation results show that the proposed model caters to the real device data very well, thus demonstrating that the model is correct. Using the same modeling methodology, the SPICE model of charge-controlled unipolar memristive devices could also be developed. The proposed model could be used to model resistive memory cells, logical gates as well as synapses in artificial neural networks.     

具有感觉记忆的忆阻器模型

人类记忆的形成包括感觉记忆、短期记忆、长期记忆三个阶段,类似的记忆形成过程在不同材料忆阻器的实验研究中有过多次报道.这类忆阻器的记忆形成过程存在有、无感觉记忆的两种情况,已报道的这类忆阻器的数学模型仅能够描述无感觉记忆的忆阻器.本文在已有模型的基础上,根据有感觉记忆的忆阻器的研究文献中所报道的实验现象,设计了具有感觉记忆的忆阻器模型.对所设计模型的仿真分析验证了该模型对于存在感觉记忆的这类忆阻器特性的描述能力:对忆阻器施加连续脉冲激励,在初始若干脉冲作用时忆阻器无明显的记忆形成,此时忆阻器处于感觉记忆阶段,后续的脉冲作用下忆阻器将逐渐形成短期、长期记忆,并且所施加脉冲的幅值越大、宽度越大、间隔越小,则感觉记忆阶段所经历的脉冲数量越少.模型状态变量的物理意义可用连通两电极的导电通道在外加电压作用下的形成与消失来给出解释.     

The design and simulation of a titanium oxide memristor-based programmable analog filter in a simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis

In many communication and signal routing applications, it is desirable to have a programmable analog filter. According to this practical demand, we consider the titanium oxide memristor, which is a kind of nano-scale electron device with low power dissipation and nonvolatile memory. Such characteristics could be suitable for designing the desired filter. However, both the non-analytical relation between the memristance and the charges that pass through it, and the changeable V-I characteristics in physical tests make it difficult to accurately set the memristance to the target value. In this paper, the conductive mechanism of the memristor is analyzed, a method of continuously programming the memristance is proposed and simulated in a simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis, and its feasibility and compatibility, both in simu- lations and physical realizations, are demonstrated. This method is then utilized in a first-order active filter as an example to show its applications in programmable filters. This work also provides a practical tool for utilizing memristors as resistance programmable devices.     

Nonvolatile memory with multilevel switching: a basic model

There is a current upsurge in research on nonvolatile two-terminal resistance random access memory (RRAM) for next generation electronic applications. The RRAM is composed of a simple sandwich of a semiconductor with two metal electrodes. We introduce here an initial model for RRAM with the assumption that the semiconducting part has a nonpercolating domain structure. We solve the model using numerical simulations and the basic carrier transfer mechanism is unveiled in detail. Our model captures three key features observed in experiments: multilevel switchability of the resistance, its memory retention, and hysteretic behavior in the current-voltage curve.     

Graphene resistive random memory — the promising memory device in next generation

Graphene-based resistive random access memory(GRRAM) has grasped researchers' attention due to its merits compared with ordinary RRAM. In this paper, we briefly review different types of GRRAMs. These GRRAMs can be divided into two categories: graphene RRAM and graphene oxide(GO)/reduced graphene oxide(r GO) RRAM. Using graphene as the electrode, GRRAM can own many good characteristics, such as low power consumption, higher density, transparency,SET voltage modulation, high uniformity, and so on. Graphene flakes sandwiched between two dielectric layers can lower the SET voltage and achieve multilevel switching. Moreover, the GRRAM with r GO and GO as the dielectric or electrode can be simply fabricated. Flexible and high performance RRAM and GO film can be modified by adding other materials layer or making a composite with polymer, nanoparticle, and 2D materials to further improve the performance. Above all,GRRAM shows huge potential to become the next generation memory.     

Self-compliance multilevel storage characteristic in HfO_2-based device

In this paper, the self-compliance bipolar resistive switching characteristic of an HfO_2-based memory device with Ag/HfO_2/Au structure for multilevel storage is investigated. By applying a positive voltage, the dual-step set processes corresponding to three stable resistance states are observed in the device. The multilevel switching characteristics can still be observed after 48 hours. In addition, the resistance values of all the three states show negligible degradation over 104 s,which may be useful for the applications in nonvolatile multilevel storage.     

忆阻逾渗导电模型中的初态影响

逾渗网格模型是当前忆阻器件机理分析研究领域的热点之一, 但现有模型缺乏对初态设定的讨论. 本文对逾渗网格模型进行了简化, 并基于此, 通过电压激励步进的方式, 研究了不同初态对单极性忆阻开关元件中逾渗导电通道形成的影响, 分析了形成通道的动态过程以及相应的物理意义, 验证了忆阻开关元件高低阻态的阻值实际表现为高斯分布而非理想双值稳态; 而不同初态条件下, 忆阻开关元件导电通道的形状存在着不同的"树形"结构, 进而影响着其阻值的分布. 研究成果有助于进一步揭示忆阻器尚未明确的导电机理, 为今后对具体不同类型的忆阻元件的初态分析提供指导性作用. 关键词： 忆阻器 开关元件 逾渗模型 初态分析     

基于Au/TiO_2/FTO结构忆阻器的开关特性与机理研究

采用简单的一步水热法在FTO导电玻璃上外延生长了锐钛矿TiO_2纳米线,制备了具有Au/TiO_2/FTO器件结构的锐钛矿TiO_2纳米线忆阻器,系统研究了器件的阻变开关特性和开关机理.结果表明,Au/TiO_2/FTO忆阻器具有非易失的双极性阻变开关特性.同时,在103s的时间内,器件在0.1 V的电阻开关比始终保持在20以上,表明器件具有良好的非易失性.此外,器件在低阻态时遵循欧姆导电特性,而在高阻态时则满足陷阱控制的空间电荷限制电流传导机制,同时提出了基于氧空位导电细丝形成与断开机制的阻变开关模型.研究结果表明Au/TiO_2/FTO忆阻器将是一种很有发展潜力的下一代非易失性存储器.     

A method of generating random bits by using electronic bipolar memristor

The intrinsic stochasticity of resistance switching process is one of the holdblocks for using memristor as a fundamental element in the next-generation nonvolatile memory.However,such a weakness can be used as an asset for generating the random bits,which is valuable in a hardware security system.In this work,a forming-free electronic bipolar Pt/Ti/Ta2O5/Pt memristor is successfully fabricated to investigate the merits of generating random bits in such a device.The resistance switching mechanism of the fabricated device is ascribed to the electric field conducted electrons trapping/de-trapping in the deep-energy-level traps produced by the"oxygen grabbing"process.The stochasticity of the electrons trapping/detrapping governs the random distribution of the set/reset switching voltages of the device,making a single memristor act as a random bit in which the resistance of the device represents information and the applied voltage pulse serves as the triggering signal.The physical implementation of such a random process provides a method of generating the random bits based on memristors in hardware security applications.     

Sub-micro watt resistive memories using nano-crystallized aluminum oxynitride dielectric

Using nano-crystallized aluminum oxynitride (nc-AlO_xN_y) dielectric, the Al/nc-AlO_xN_y/AlN/n⁺-Si resistive random access memory (RRAM) with ultralow sub-micro watt power is reported in this study. The RRAM devices exhibit excellent memory characteristics, including reproducible bipolar resistive switching under >100 times memory window, very low set and reset current of ~10 nA, high voltage distributions and good data retention. It is demonstrated that the reset current decreases as the compliance current decreases, which provides an approach to lower the power consumption. The conduction mechanisms for high- and low-resistance states are dominated by Frenkel–Poole conduction and space-charge-limited current, respectively. These good memory characteristics in this RRAM show great potential in future high-performance memory applications.     

Engineering oxide resistive switching materials for memristive device application

Based on a unified physical model and first-principle calculations, a material-oriented methodology has been proposed to control the bipolar switching behavior of an oxide-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell. According to the material-oriented methodology, the oxide-based RRAM cell can be designed by material engineering to achieve the required device performance. In this article, a Gd-doped HfO₂ RRAM cell with excellent bipolar switching characteristics is developed to meet the requirements of memristive device application. The typical memristive characteristics of the Gd-doped HfO₂ RRAM cell are presented, and the mechanism is discussed.     

基于串并联磁控忆阻器的耦合行为研究

忆阻器是纳米级器件, 其功耗低, 集成度高, 有着巨大的应用潜能. 单个器件具有丰富的电学性质, 其串并联电路更展现了丰富的动力学行为. 然而, 忆阻器在高密度集成的环境下, 其耦合效应不可忽视. 因此, 本文首先基于磁控忆阻器推导了耦合忆阻器的数学模型. 其次, 在考虑不同极性连接和耦合强度的前提下, 讨论两个磁控忆阻器串并联的耦合情况, 进行了详细的理论分析, 并通过数值仿真探索了耦合效应对忆阻系统的影响. 同时, 设计了基于Matlab的图形用户界面, 直观地展示了不同参数下的耦合特性曲线. 进一步, 本文展示了有无耦合情况下, 初始阻值对忆阻器正常工作范围的影响. 最后, 构建耦合忆阻器的Pspice仿真器, 从电路的角度再次验证了忆阻器间的耦合效应. 实验结果表明: 同极性耦合增强了阻值的改变, 相反极性的耦合减缓了阻值的改变. 这些动力学特性可以很好地应用于忆阻网络中, 也为全面考虑忆阻系统电路的设计提供了强大的理论基础.     

Thermal stability and data retention of resistive random access memory with HfO_x/ZnO double layers

As an industry accepted storage scheme, hafnium oxide(HfO_x) based resistive random access memory(RRAM)should further improve its thermal stability and data retention for practical applications. We therefore fabricated RRAMs with HfO_x/ZnO double-layer as the storage medium to study their thermal stability as well as data retention. The HfO_x/ZnO double-layer is capable of reversible bipolar switching under ultralow switching current( 3 μA) with a Schottky emission dominant conduction for the high resistance state and a Poole–Frenkel emission governed conduction for the low resistance state. Compared with a drastically increased switching current at 120℃ for the single HfO_x layer RRAM, the HfO_x/ZnO double-layer exhibits excellent thermal stability and maintains neglectful fluctuations in switching current at high temperatures(up to 180℃), which might be attributed to the increased Schottky barrier height to suppress current at high temperatures. Additionally, the HfO_x/ZnO double-layer exhibits 10-year data retention @85℃ that is helpful for the practical applications in RRAMs.     

Performance improvement of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide ReRAM with SiO2 inserting layer

In this study, the resistive switching performance of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) resistive switching random-access memory (ReRAM) was improved by inserting a thin silicon oxide layer between silver (Ag) top electrode and a-IGZO resistive switching layer. Compared with the single a-IGZO layer structure, the SiO₂/a-IGZO bi-layer structure exhibits the higher On/Off resistance ratio larger than 10³, and the lower operation power using a smaller SET compliance current. In addition, good endurance and excellent retention characteristics were achieved. Furthermore, multilevel resistance states are obtained through adjusting SET compliance current and RESET stop voltage, which shows a promise for high-performance nonvolatile multilevel memory application.     

基于Cu/SiO_x/Al结构的阻变存储器多值特性及机理的研究

采用氧化硅材料构建了Cu/SiOx/Al的三明治结构阻变存储器件.用半导体参数分析仪对其阻变特性进行测量,结果表明其具有明显的阻变特性,并且通过调节限制电流,得到了四个稳定的阻态,各相邻阻态的电阻比大于10,并且具有良好的数据保持能力.在不同温度条件下对各个阻态进行电学测试及拟合,明确了不同阻态的电子传输机理不尽相同:阻态1和阻态2为欧姆传导机制,阻态3为P-F(Pool-Frenkel)发射机制,阻态4为肖特基发射机制.根据电子传输机制,建立了铜细丝导电模型并对Cu/SiOx/Al阻变存储器件各个阻态的电致阻变机制进行解释.     

一个分数阶忆阻器模型及其简单串联电路的特性

忆阻器是具有时间记忆特性的非线性电阻. 经典HP TiO₂忆阻器模型的忆阻值为此前通过忆阻器电流的时间积分, 即记忆没有损失. 而最近研究证实HP TiO₂ 线性忆阻器掺杂层厚度不能等于零或者器件整体厚度, 导致器件的记忆有损失. 基于此发现, 本文首先提出了一个阶数介于0 与1间的分数阶HP TiO₂ 线性忆阻器模型, 研究了当受到周期外激励时, 分数阶导数的阶数对其忆阻值动态范围和输出电压动态幅值的影响规律, 推导出了磁滞旁瓣面积的计算公式. 结果表明, 分数阶导数阶数对磁滞回线的形状及所围成区域面积有重要影响. 特别地, 在外激频率大于1时, 分数阶忆阻器的记忆强度达到最大. 然后讨论了此分数阶忆阻器与电容或电感串联组成的单口网络的伏安特性. 结果表明, 在周期激励驱动时, 随着分数阶导数阶数的变化, 此分数阶忆阻器与电容的串联电路呈现出纯电容电路与忆阻电路的转换, 而它与电感的串联电路则呈现出纯电感电路与忆阻电路的转换.     

A mathematical analysis: From memristor to fracmemristor

The memristor is also a basic electronic component, just like resistors, capacitors and inductors. It is a nonlinear device with memory characteristics. In 2008, with HP's announcement of the discovery of the TiO₂ memristor, the new memristor system, memory capacitor (memcapacitor) and memory inductor (meminductor) were derived. Fractional-order calculus has the characteristics of non-locality, weak singularity and long term memory which traditional integer-order calculus does not have, and can accurately portray or model real-world problems better than the classic integer-order calculus. In recent years, researchers have extended the modeling method of memristor by fractional calculus, and proposed the fractional-order memristor, but its concept is not unified. This paper reviews the existing memristive elements, including integer-order memristor systems and fractional-order memristor systems. We analyze their similarities and differences, give the derivation process, circuit schematic diagrams, and an outlook on the development direction of fractional-order memristive elements.     

一种基于忆阻交叉阵列的自适应三高斯模型及其在图像增强中的应用

在视觉图像处理中,可用三高斯模型来模拟视网膜神经节细胞的感受野,这可以在一定程度上对图像信息,比如图像的边缘、细节等信息进行增强.但是在对大量的图像进行处理时,为了达到比较理想的效果,就需要人为地来改变模型中的相关参数,这是一个十分耗时的过程.基于此,本文提出一种基于忆阻交叉阵列的自适应三高斯模型.这种模型是在传统三高斯模型的基础上,根据所需处理图像的局部特征,利用忆阻交叉阵列的特性动态地改变模型参数,以达到对局部图像最优增强的目的,从而使整幅图像的增强效果更好.首先,根据图像的局部亮度信息来确定忆阻器所需施加的脉冲电压的极性以及宽度;然后,根据所得忆阻值得到对应模型中参数的值;最后,可以得到局部增强模板,从而实现增强.本文分别选取了彩色和灰度图像进行了测试,定性和定量实验结果均表明,这种改进的三高斯模型不仅能够对图像边缘进行有效的增强,而且还可以极大地提高图像的对比度和清晰度,为忆阻器在图像处理方面的应用提供了新方向.     

Resistive switching of silicon-rich-oxide featuring high compatibility with CMOS technology for 3D stackable and embedded applications

This paper discusses the resistive switching devices based on highly compatible silicon-rich-oxide, including silicon monoxide (SiO) and SiO _x N _y material, which can be fabricated by low temperature process, and thus fully compatible with the back-end CMOS technology. The demonstrated SiO based RRAM suitable for 3D stackable applications shows repeatable unipolar resistive switching behavior with excellent on/off resistance ratio and good retention performance, but a little bit high switching voltage. The presented silicon-rich silicon-oxynitride RRAM device can effectively reduce the switching voltages (∼1 V) and shows good retention capability under 180°C baking as well as fast speed, giving great potentials for 3D stackable and embedded applications. The switching mechanisms in the studied devices are discussed. The method of switching voltage reduction through nitrogen doping, as a kind of defect engineering, can provide some guidelines for RRAM design.     

Reproducible resistive switching effect for memory applications in heterocontacts based on strongly correlated electron systems

The transitional processes in heterocontacts based on strongly correlated electron systems (SCES) are studied for analyzing of the effect of resistive switching (ERS). It has been shown that the process is asymmetric with respect to switching into “on” and “off” states, the switching time is controlled by a voltage level, this time can be less than microseconds, on the other hand, relaxation processes can reach tens seconds. The switching is controlled by two processes: a change in the resistance state of the normal metal/SCES interface under effect of electric current field and by electrodiffusion of oxygen to vacancies, at that the doping level of the contact area and resistive properties of the heterocontact change. In particular, electrodiffusion of mobile oxygen induced by the electric field makes it possible to use a device with ERS as a memristor. On the other hand, a possibility to control the switching time and ON and OFF parameters show the possibilities to use these devices as memory elements “RAM”.