Radiation hardness of ovonic threshold switches under swift heavy-ion irradiation

Acting as non-linear selector devices, ovonic threshold switches (OTS) are essential for suppressing sneak-path currents in large-scale crossbar arrays, thereby enabling scalable and energy-efficient integration of resistive memories. As conventional transistors approach their scalability limits, OTS technology offers a promising pathway toward reliable and high-performance memory systems of the future. Furthermore, conventional semiconductor transistors, are known to be highly susceptible to radiation-induced effects leading to function failure. In this study, we present two chalcogenide-based OTS that exhibit pronounced radiation hardness under high-fluence irradiation with GeV gold ions in the electronic energy loss regime. As demonstrated by X-ray diffraction analysis, the ion irradiation does not induce detectable structural changes and the amorphous configuration of the OTS remains preserved. A comparison of the electrical behavior of virgin, initialized and cycled OTS before and after irradiation shows that threshold-switching characteristics and overall functionality remain largely unaffected.