# Effects of Electric Fields on the Switching Properties Improvements of RRAM Device with a Field-Enhanced Elevated-Film-Stack Structure

Kai Chi Chuang*, Kuan Yu Lin, Jun Dao Luo, Wei Shuo Li, Yi Shao Li, Chi Yan Chu, Huang-Chung Cheng

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

## Abstract

In this paper, a resistive random access memory (RRAM) device using a field-enhanced elevated-film-stack (EFS) structure with a 15-nm-thick HfOx dielectric layer was fabricated and measured to achieve a forming voltage ($\text{V}-{\mathrm{ Forming}}$) of 2.04 V, set voltage ($\text{V}-{\mathrm{ Set}}$) of 0.95 V, and reset voltage ($\text{V}-{\mathrm{ Reset}}$) of-1.22 V, compared to the values of 2.73 V, 1.26 V, and-1.54 V for the planar one with 6-nm-thick HfOx, respectively. These resistive switching characteristics were effectively reduced, and the uniformity of these characteristics from device to device were considerably improved. The improvements of such an EFS-structured RRAM device were attributed to the high local electric fields at the two sharp corners of the EFS structure, which facilitated the formation of conductive filaments, and the distribution of the electric field was verified by technology computer-aided design simulations.

Original language English 622-626 5 IEEE Journal of the Electron Devices Society 6 https://doi.org/10.1109/JEDS.2018.2832542 Published - 1 May 2018

## Keywords

• Resistive random access memory (RRAM)
• conductive filament (CF)
• elevated-film-stack (EFS) structure
• hafnium oxide