Oxygenated amorphous carbon for resistive memory applications

Abstract

Carbon-based electronics is a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based electronics as it could enable faster, smaller and cheaper transistors, interconnects and memory devices. However, the development of carbon-based memory devices has been hampered either by the complex fabrication methods of crystalline carbon allotropes or by poor performance. Here we present an oxygenated amorphous carbon (a-COx) produced by physical vapour deposition that has several properties in common with graphite oxide. Moreover, its simple fabrication method ensures excellent reproducibility and tuning of its properties. Memory devices based on a-COx exhibit outstanding non-volatile resistive memory performance, such as switching times on the order of 10 ns and cycling endurance in excess of 10(4) times. A detailed investigation of the pristine, SET and RESET states indicates a switching mechanism based on the electrochemical redox reaction of carbon. These results suggest that a-COx could play a key role in non-volatile memory technology and carbon-based electronics.

Direct laser write process for 3D conductive carbon circuits in polyimide

“…The current measured through the via quickly (¡1 s) spikes as the voltage rises during turn-on, indicating a high conductivity state has formed. This behaviour is similar to resistive switching that has been seen in carbon devices before [33]. The proposed switching mechanism in these devices is Joule heating within the nanocrystalline microstrucuture of the DLW region, which produces a conductive filament through annealing [34,35].…”

The improvement of stable resistive switching in Al/ZnO/Al heterostructures by integration of amorphous carbon layers

“…The electrical conduction behavior, field‐induced switching, and Joule‐heating‐induced rearrangement of atomic order resulting in a resistance change are similar to phase‐change materials . In addition, memory devices based on oxygenated a‐C (a‐CO x ) also exhibit outstanding non‐volatile resistive memory performance based on the electrochemical redox reaction of C .…”

Temperature Evolution in Nanoscale Carbon-Based Memory Devices Due to Local Joule Heating

“…O NE of the emerging candidates to bridge the gap between fast but volatile DRAM [1] and non-volatile but slow storage devices is tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) based memory [2]- [5]. It offers a very good scalability, data retention and sub-5 ns switching speeds [3], [4].…”

“…Amorphous carbon memory devices can be electrically and optically switched from the high resistance state (HRS) into the low resistance state (LRS) [6]. The electrical conduction in the LRS is thought to be through sp 2 clusters that form a conductive filament [5], [6].…”