Performance improvement of gadolinium oxide resistive random access memory treated by hydrogen plasma immersion ion implantation

Characteristics improvement of gadolinium oxide (GdxOy) resistive random access memories (RRAMs) treated by hydrogen plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) was investigated. With the hydrogen PIII treatment, the GdxOy RRAMs exhibited low set/reset voltages and a high resistance ratio, which were attributed to the enhanced movement of oxygen ions within the GdxOy films and the increased Schottky barrier height at Pt/GdxOy interface, respectively. The resistive switching mechanism of GdxOy RRAMs was dominated by Schottky emission, as proved by the area dependence of the resistance in the low resistance state. After the hydrogen PIII treatment, a retention time of more than 104 s was achieved at an elevated measurement temperature. In addition, a stable cycling endurance with the resistance ratio of more than three orders of magnitude of the GdxOy RRAMs can be obtained.