Thermal stability investigation in highly- uniform and low-voltage tantalum oxide-based RRAM

Resistive switching behavior of TaO_x-based resistive switching devices is investigated at temperatures of 25°C to 300°C. Both the set and reset voltages decrease with increasing temperature. Long retention (>10 years at 150°C) and good thermal stability were achieved for the TaO_x-based RRAM. At elevated temperatures from 240°C to 300°C, the low resistance state exhibits no significant change with time. In contrast, the high resistance state (HRS) shows degradation followed by sudden failure. The HRS failure times for both TaO_x and Ge/TaO_x devices exhibit Arrhenius dependence with activation energies of 1.45 eV and 1.27 eV, respectively.