J. Semicond. > 2017, Volume 38 > Issue 8 > 084003
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SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures

Xiaoyu Chen#, Hao Wang#, Gongchen Sun#, Xiaoyu Ma, Jianguang Gao and Wengang Wu

+ Author Affiliations

 Corresponding author: Wengang Wu, Email:wuwg@pku.edu.cn

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003

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Abstract: The resistive switching characteristic of SiO2 thin film in electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor (EOS) structures under certain bias voltage is reported. To analyze the mechanism of the resistive switching characteristic, a batch of EOS structures were fabricated under various conditions and their electrical properties were measured with a set of three-electrode systems. A theoretical model based on the formation and rupture of conductive filaments in the oxide layer is proposed to reveal the mechanism of the resistive switching characteristic, followed by an experimental investigation of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) to verify the proposed theoretical model. It is found that different threshold voltage, reverse leakage current and slope value features of the switching I-V characteristic can be observed in different EOS structures with different electrolyte solutions as well as different SiO2 layers made by different fabrication processes or in different thicknesses. With a simple fabrication process and significant resistive switching characteristic, the EOS structures show great potential for chemical/biochemical applications.

Key words: electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structure, resistive switching characteristic, conductive filament, threshold voltage, reverse leakage current



[1]
Hudec B, Paskaleva A, Jancovic P, et al. Resistive switching in TiO2-based metal-insulator-metal structures with Al2O3 barrier layer at the metal/dielectric interface. Thin Solid Films, 2014, 563:10 doi: 10.1016/j.tsf.2014.02.030
[2]
Jeon H, Park J, Jang W, et al. Stabilized resistive switching behaviors of a Pt/TaOx/TiN RRAM under different oxygen contents. Phys Status Solidi A, 2014, 211(9):2189 doi: 10.1002/pssa.v211.9
[3]
Sawa A. Resistive switching in transition metal oxides. Mater Today, 2008, 11(6):28 doi: 10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70119-6
[4]
Yu S, Guan X, Wong H S P. Conduction mechanism of TiN/HfOx/Pt resistive switching memory:a trap-assisted-tunneling model. Appl Phys Lett, 2011, 99(6):063507 doi: 10.1063/1.3624472
[5]
Zhu X J, Shang J, Liu G, et al. Ion transport-related resistive switching in film sandwich structures. Chin Sci Bull, 2014, 59(20):2363 doi: 10.1007/s11434-014-0284-8
[6]
Goux L. Resistive switching:from concept to device optimization. 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO), 2015:17 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304297853_Resistive_switching_From_concept_to_device_optimization
[7]
Dearnaley G, Stoneham A, Morgan D. Electrical phenomena in amorphous oxide films. Rep Prog Phys, 1970, 33(3):1129 doi: 10.1088/0034-4885/33/3/306
[8]
Afanas'ev V, Stesmans A. Hydrogen related leakage currents induced in ultrathin SiO2/Si structures by vacuum ultraviolet radiation. J Electrochem Soc, 1999, 146(9):3409 doi: 10.1149/1.1392487
[9]
Blöhl P E, Stathis J H. Hydrogen electrochemistry and stress-induced leakage current in silica. Phys Rev Lett, 1999, 83(2):372 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.372
[10]
DiMaria D, Cartier E. Mechanism for stressinduced leakage currents in thin silicon dioxide films. J Appl Phys, 1995, 78(6):3883 doi: 10.1063/1.359905
[11]
Kügeler C, Rosezin R, Linn E, et al. Materials, technologies, and circuit concepts for nanocrossbar-based bipolar RRAM. Appl Phys A, 2011, 102(4):791 doi: 10.1007/s00339-011-6287-2
[12]
Yang Y, Gao P, Gaba S, et al. Observation of conducting filament growth in nanoscale resistive memories. Nat Commun, 2012, 3:732 doi: 10.1038/ncomms1737
[13]
Menzel S, Tappertzhofen S, Waser R, et al. Switching kinetics of electrochemical metallization memory cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys, 2013, 15(18):6945 doi: 10.1039/c3cp50738f
[14]
Schoch R B, Han J, Renaud P. Transport phenomena in nanofluidics. Rev Modern Phys, 2008, 80(3):839 doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.80.839
[15]
Fung C D, Cheung P W, Ko W H. A generalized theory of an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor. IEEE Trans Electron Devices, 1986, 33(1):8 doi: 10.1109/T-ED.1986.22429
[16]
Kurtz H A, Karna S P. Proton mobility in a-SiO2. IEEE Trans Nucl Sci, 1999, 46(6):1574 doi: 10.1109/23.819123
Fig. 1.  Schematic diagrams of the fabrication process of a single EOS structure cell and the three-electrode measurement system.

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Fig. 2.  Pictures of (a) EOS-devices and (b) the three-electrode test setup.

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Fig. 3.  (Color online) (a) $I$-$V$ curve of an EOS structure in cyclic voltammetry measurement It forms a "threshold window''. (b) Some EOS structures show obvious reverse leakage currents when reverse-voltage scanning is applied due to the extended residual ion atoms in Si substrates. (c) The reverse leakage currents of the EOS structures with CuCl$_{\mathrm{2}}$, ZnSO$_{\mathrm{4}}$ and NaCl solutions as the electrolytes. The trough voltage varies with the different solutions due to the different extended depth of ion atoms in Si substrates. (d) Incomplete structures, which are semiconductor only (i) electrolyte-semiconductor (ii) and oxide-semiconductor structures (iii), respectively, merely exhibit linear $I$-$V$ curves The semiconductors in those structures are the same heavily-doped n-type Si substrates with Al deposited on their backsides.

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Fig. 4.  (Color online) (a) $I$-$V$ curves of EOS structures in different SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ layer thicknesses. (b) $I$-$V$ curves of EOS structures with different SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ layers fabricated by different processes. But the thickness of the oxide layer is the same, 100 nm. DI water is employed as the electrolyte of the EOS samples in all the experiments of (a) and (b).

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Fig. 5.  (Color online) $I$-$V$ curves of the EOS structures with ZnSO$_{\mathrm{4}}$ electrolyte in different solution concentrations.

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Fig. 6.  (Color online) Schematic formation and dissolution of the conductive filaments in the EOS structure. (a) ON-switching/LRS: the formation of conductive filaments under a forward bias. (b) OFF-switching/HRS: the dissolution of conductive filaments under a reverse bias.

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Fig. 7.  (Color online) (a) AES and (b) SIMS investigations on the solid structures of some EOS samples. Before the investigations, the samples with KCl solutions as the electrolyte part were applied by a 6 V forward bias for 100 s. Both the AES and SIMS results show that the K element is implanted into the SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ layers and Si substrates, and have relatively high concentrations near the SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ surfaces as well as the SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$/Si interfaces, with the peaks of the intensity spectra locating at the surfaces and interfaces, respectively. For AES test samples, the actual thickness of SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ layers is around 110 nm. For SIMS test samples, the actual thickness of SiO$_{\mathrm{2}}$ layers is about 10 nm.

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[1]
Hudec B, Paskaleva A, Jancovic P, et al. Resistive switching in TiO2-based metal-insulator-metal structures with Al2O3 barrier layer at the metal/dielectric interface. Thin Solid Films, 2014, 563:10 doi: 10.1016/j.tsf.2014.02.030
[2]
Jeon H, Park J, Jang W, et al. Stabilized resistive switching behaviors of a Pt/TaOx/TiN RRAM under different oxygen contents. Phys Status Solidi A, 2014, 211(9):2189 doi: 10.1002/pssa.v211.9
[3]
Sawa A. Resistive switching in transition metal oxides. Mater Today, 2008, 11(6):28 doi: 10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70119-6
[4]
Yu S, Guan X, Wong H S P. Conduction mechanism of TiN/HfOx/Pt resistive switching memory:a trap-assisted-tunneling model. Appl Phys Lett, 2011, 99(6):063507 doi: 10.1063/1.3624472
[5]
Zhu X J, Shang J, Liu G, et al. Ion transport-related resistive switching in film sandwich structures. Chin Sci Bull, 2014, 59(20):2363 doi: 10.1007/s11434-014-0284-8
[6]
Goux L. Resistive switching:from concept to device optimization. 2015 IEEE 15th International Conference on Nanotechnology (IEEE-NANO), 2015:17 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304297853_Resistive_switching_From_concept_to_device_optimization
[7]
Dearnaley G, Stoneham A, Morgan D. Electrical phenomena in amorphous oxide films. Rep Prog Phys, 1970, 33(3):1129 doi: 10.1088/0034-4885/33/3/306
[8]
Afanas'ev V, Stesmans A. Hydrogen related leakage currents induced in ultrathin SiO2/Si structures by vacuum ultraviolet radiation. J Electrochem Soc, 1999, 146(9):3409 doi: 10.1149/1.1392487
[9]
Blöhl P E, Stathis J H. Hydrogen electrochemistry and stress-induced leakage current in silica. Phys Rev Lett, 1999, 83(2):372 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.83.372
[10]
DiMaria D, Cartier E. Mechanism for stressinduced leakage currents in thin silicon dioxide films. J Appl Phys, 1995, 78(6):3883 doi: 10.1063/1.359905
[11]
Kügeler C, Rosezin R, Linn E, et al. Materials, technologies, and circuit concepts for nanocrossbar-based bipolar RRAM. Appl Phys A, 2011, 102(4):791 doi: 10.1007/s00339-011-6287-2
[12]
Yang Y, Gao P, Gaba S, et al. Observation of conducting filament growth in nanoscale resistive memories. Nat Commun, 2012, 3:732 doi: 10.1038/ncomms1737
[13]
Menzel S, Tappertzhofen S, Waser R, et al. Switching kinetics of electrochemical metallization memory cells. Phys Chem Chem Phys, 2013, 15(18):6945 doi: 10.1039/c3cp50738f
[14]
Schoch R B, Han J, Renaud P. Transport phenomena in nanofluidics. Rev Modern Phys, 2008, 80(3):839 doi: 10.1103/RevModPhys.80.839
[15]
Fung C D, Cheung P W, Ko W H. A generalized theory of an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor. IEEE Trans Electron Devices, 1986, 33(1):8 doi: 10.1109/T-ED.1986.22429
[16]
Kurtz H A, Karna S P. Proton mobility in a-SiO2. IEEE Trans Nucl Sci, 1999, 46(6):1574 doi: 10.1109/23.819123

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    Received: 16 September 2016 Revised: 07 December 2016 Online: Published: 01 August 2017

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      Article Navigation >  Journal of Semiconductors  > 2017  >  38(8): 084003
      Xiaoyu Chen, Hao Wang, Gongchen Sun, Xiaoyu Ma, Jianguang Gao, Wengang Wu. Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2017, 38(8): 084003. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003 ****X Y Chen, H Wang, G C Sun, X Y Ma, J G Gao, W G Wu. Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures[J]. J. Semicond., 2017, 38(8): 084003. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003.
      Citation:
      Xiaoyu Chen, Hao Wang, Gongchen Sun, Xiaoyu Ma, Jianguang Gao, Wengang Wu. Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2017, 38(8): 084003. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003 ****
      X Y Chen, H Wang, G C Sun, X Y Ma, J G Gao, W G Wu. Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures[J]. J. Semicond., 2017, 38(8): 084003. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003.
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      Resistive switching characteristic of electrolyte-oxide-semiconductor structures

      DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/38/8/084003

      • National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Micro/Nano Fabrication, Institute of Microelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

      Funds:

      Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61274116) and the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2015CB352100)

      the National Basic Research Program of China 2015CB352100

      the National Natural Science Foundation of China 61274116

      More Information
      • Corresponding author: Wengang Wu, Email:wuwg@pku.edu.cn
      • Received Date: 2016-09-16
      • Revised Date: 2016-12-07
      • Published Date: 2017-08-01

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