Hybrid channel induced forming-free performance in nanocrystalline-Si:H/a-SiNx:H resistive switching memory

The unique forming-free feature of Si-based resistive switching memory plays a key role in the industrialization of next generation memory in the nanoscale. Here we report on a new forming-free nanocrystalline-Si:H (nc-Si:H)/SiNx:H resistive switching memory that can be obtained by deposition of hydrogen diluted nc-Si on hydrogen plasma treated a-SiNx:H layer. It is found that nc-Si dots with areal density of 5.6 × 1012/cm2 exist in nc-Si:H sublayer. Si dangling bonds (DBs) of volume density of 4.13 × 1023 cm−3 are produced in the a-SiNx:H sublayer. Temperature dependent current characteristic and theoretical calculations further reveal that hybrid channel of nc-Si and Si dangling bonds are the origin of the forming-free performance of nc-Si:H/SiNx:H resistive switching memory, which obey the trap assisted tunneling model at the low resistance state and P-F model at the high resistance state. Our discovery of hybrid channel supplies a new way to make Si-based RRAM be used in high density memory in the future.