Resistive switching characteristics of Al/Si3N4/p-Si MIS-based resistive switching memory devices

In this study, we proposed and demonstrated a self-rectifying property of a silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 )-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) device by employing p -type silicon ( p -Si) as the bottom electrode. The RRAM devices consisting of Al/Si 3 N 4 / p -Si are fabricated by using a low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition and exhibited an intrinsic diode property with non-linear current−voltage ( I−V ) behavior. In addition, compared to the conventional metal/insulator/metal (MIM) structure of Al/Si 3 N 4 /Ti RRAM cells, the operating current over the entire bias region for the proposed metal/insulator/semiconductor (MIS) cells is dramatically lower because the introduced p -Si bottom electrode efficiently suppresses the current in both the low- and the high resistance states. Then, the results mean that when p -Si is employed as a bottom electrode, the Si 3 N 4 -based RRAM cells can be applied to selector-free RRAM cells.