中国物理B ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (12): 127303-127303.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ade4b2

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Impact of oxide bottom electrodes on resistive switching behavior associated with oxygen vacancy dynamics in Al/ZrO2/BE ReRAM structures

Wei Zhang(张伟)1,†, Zhen Guo(郭震)1, Luobin Qiu(邱洛彬)1, Jun Liu(刘军)1, and Fangren Hu(胡芳仁)1,2,‡   

  1. 1 College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Flexible Electronics (Future Technology), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China;
    2 Peter Grunberg Research Center, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China
  • 收稿日期:2025-04-15 修回日期:2025-06-13 接受日期:2025-06-16 发布日期:2025-12-15
  • 通讯作者: Wei Zhang, Fangren Hu E-mail:chanway@njupt.edu.cn;hufr@njupt.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51602160 and 61605086), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20150842), the Talent Project of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPTSF) (Grant No. NY222127).

Impact of oxide bottom electrodes on resistive switching behavior associated with oxygen vacancy dynamics in Al/ZrO2/BE ReRAM structures

Wei Zhang(张伟)1,†, Zhen Guo(郭震)1, Luobin Qiu(邱洛彬)1, Jun Liu(刘军)1, and Fangren Hu(胡芳仁)1,2,‡   

  1. 1 College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Flexible Electronics (Future Technology), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China;
    2 Peter Grunberg Research Center, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China
  • Received:2025-04-15 Revised:2025-06-13 Accepted:2025-06-16 Published:2025-12-15
  • Contact: Wei Zhang, Fangren Hu E-mail:chanway@njupt.edu.cn;hufr@njupt.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51602160 and 61605086), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BK20150842), the Talent Project of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPTSF) (Grant No. NY222127).

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摘要： This study investigates the impact of oxide bottom electrode (BE) material and orientation on the resistive switching (RS) characteristics of Al/ZrO2-based ReRAM devices. Devices with different oxide BEs, including (400)- and (222)-oriented ITO BEs deposited under pure argon and argon-oxygen (20% O2) sputtering atmospheres, as well as SrRuO3 (SRO), show distinct RS behaviors. The Al/ZrO2/(400)-ITO and Al/ZrO2/SRO devices demonstrate stable bipolar RS performance, with (400)-ITO enabling an abrupt reset process, a wider memory window (> 104), and superior stability, while SRO devices exhibit gradual reset transitions with lower power consumption. Furthermore, the crystallographic orientation control applied to ITO BE significantly affects the VO dynamics and RS performance, with (222)-ITO devices exhibiting irreversible RS behavior. It is irrefutable that BE material and its orientation can strongly influence RS performance by modulating the VO dynamics, electric field distribution, and conductive filament behavior. These findings underscore the importance of BE properties in optimizing ReRAM performance and provide valuable guidance for the development of high-efficiency memory devices.

关键词: ZrO2 film, resistive switching mechanism, electrode material and crystallographic orientation, oxygen vacancy dynamics

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of oxide bottom electrode (BE) material and orientation on the resistive switching (RS) characteristics of Al/ZrO2-based ReRAM devices. Devices with different oxide BEs, including (400)- and (222)-oriented ITO BEs deposited under pure argon and argon-oxygen (20% O2) sputtering atmospheres, as well as SrRuO3 (SRO), show distinct RS behaviors. The Al/ZrO2/(400)-ITO and Al/ZrO2/SRO devices demonstrate stable bipolar RS performance, with (400)-ITO enabling an abrupt reset process, a wider memory window (> 104), and superior stability, while SRO devices exhibit gradual reset transitions with lower power consumption. Furthermore, the crystallographic orientation control applied to ITO BE significantly affects the VO dynamics and RS performance, with (222)-ITO devices exhibiting irreversible RS behavior. It is irrefutable that BE material and its orientation can strongly influence RS performance by modulating the VO dynamics, electric field distribution, and conductive filament behavior. These findings underscore the importance of BE properties in optimizing ReRAM performance and provide valuable guidance for the development of high-efficiency memory devices.

Key words: ZrO2 film, resistive switching mechanism, electrode material and crystallographic orientation, oxygen vacancy dynamics

中图分类号:  (Metal-insulator-metal structures)

  • 73.40.Rw
77.55.-g (Dielectric thin films) 72.20.-i (Conductivity phenomena in semiconductors and insulators) 71.55.-i (Impurity and defect levels)