Nanowire-based RRAM crossbar memory with metallic core-oxide shell nanostructure

For the development of crossbar memory arrays with density approaching one Tb/cm², bottom-up techniques employing nanowire (NW) synthesis and assembly seem most promising. This work demonstrates a resistive switching memory (RRAM) based on core-shell NWs, with Ni core and NiO shell, where resistive switching takes place in the active NiO shell. RRAM devices with two NWs in a crossbar layout display a resistance window of about 5 decades. Unipolar resistance switching is evidenced to occur in the NiO shell at the cross-point junction between NWs. These results support core-shell NWs with metallic core and metal-oxide shell as promising building blocks for functional/scalable bottom-up RRAM technology.