Enhancement of resistive switching ratio induced by competing interfacial oxygen diffusion in tantalum oxide based memories with metal nitride electrode.

Oxide-based binary resistive switching memories using metal nitride as one of the electrodes usually have a limited ratio of the resistances of the high- and low-resistance states. Here, we propose a competing mechanism to enhance the switching ratio by modifying the high-resistance state with extra inherent interfacial oxygen diffusion against what happens at the oxide/nitride interface. This is implemented in Pt/ZrO2/Ta2O5/TaN bilayer structures, where a resistance ratio above 104, about one to two orders of magnitude greater than that in Pt/Ta2O5/TaN monolayer structures, is achieved. This competing mechanism is further corroborated by the failed enhancement in the switching ratio when using an altered stacking arrangement of the two oxide layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]