Conductance Quantization in Resistive Random Access Memory.
The intrinsic scaling-down ability, simple metal-insulator-metal (MIM) sandwich structure, excellent performances, and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology-compatible fabrication processes make resistive random access memory (RRAM) one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation memory. The RRAM device also exhibits rich electrical, thermal, magnetic, and optical effects, in close correlation with the abundant resistive switching (RS) materials, metal-oxide interface, and multiple RS mechanisms including the formation/rupture of nanoscale to atomic-sized conductive filament (CF) incorporated in RS layer. Conductance quantization effect has been observed in the atomic-sized CF in RRAM, which provides a good opportunity to deeply investigate the RS mechanism in mesoscopic dimension. In this review paper, the operating principles of RRAM are introduced first, followed by the summarization of the basic conductance quantization phenomenon in RRAM and the related RS mechanisms, device structures, and material system. Then, we discuss the theory and modeling of quantum transport in RRAM. Finally, we present the opportunities and challenges in quantized RRAM devices and our views on the future prospects.
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liyang_leon@163.com.|Lab of Nanofabrication and Novel Device Integration, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liyang_leon@163.com.
Yang
Y
Li
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. longshibing@ime.ac.cn.|Lab of Nanofabrication and Novel Device Integration, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. longshibing@ime.ac.cn.
Shibing
S
Long
Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China. l_young@live.cn.
Yang
Y
Liu
Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China. huge19910816@163.com.
Chen
C
Hu
Department of Materials Physics and Chemistry, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China. tengjiao@mater.ustb.edu.cn.
Jiao
J
Teng
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liuqi@ime.ac.cn.|Lab of Nanofabrication and Novel Device Integration, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liuqi@ime.ac.cn.
Qi
Q
Liu
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. lvhangbing@ime.ac.cn.|Lab of Nanofabrication and Novel Device Integration, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. lvhangbing@ime.ac.cn.
Hangbing
H
Lv
Departament d'Enginyeria Electrònica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain. jordi.sune@uab.cat.
Jordi
J
Suñé
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices and Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liuming@ime.ac.cn.|Lab of Nanofabrication and Novel Device Integration, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China. liuming@ime.ac.cn.
Ming
M
Liu
Conductance quantization; Conductive filament (CF); Resistive random access memory (RRAM); Resistive switching (RS)