Improved reliability of Au/Si3N4/Ti resistive switching memory cells due to a hydrogen postannealing treatment

The effect of hydrogen-postannealing on the endurance and data retention characteristics of an Au/Si3N4/Ti resistance memory cell is investigated. Compared to the as-deposited sample, the set and reset currents of the Au/Si3N4/Ti sample annealed at 250 °C for 30 min in a N2–H2 ambient gas, are reduced from 10 mA to 1.5 mA and from 3 mA to 5 μA, respectively, whereas the current ratio increases from ∼0.5×101 to ∼103. In addition, its reliability features, including its endurance (>103 cycles) and retention time (>ten years), have been improved due to the reduction in the interface trap.