Investigation of resistive switching in Cu-doped HfO2 thin film for multilevel non-volatile memory applications

In this paper, the resistive switching characteristics in a Cu/HfO2:Cu/Pt sandwiched structure is investigated for multilevel non-volatile memory applications. The device shows excellent resistive switching performance, including good endurance, long retention time, fast operation speed and a large storage window (R-OFF/R-ON > 10(7)). Based on the temperature-dependent test results, the formation of Cu conducting filaments is believed to be the reason for the resistance switching from the OFF state to the ON state. By integrating the resistive switching mechanism study and the device fabrication, different resistance values are achieved using different compliance currents in the program process. These resistance values can be easily distinguished in a large temperature range, and can be maintained over 10 years by extrapolating retention data at room temperature. The integrated experiment and mechanism studies set up the foundation for the development of high-performance multilevel RRAM.