Resistive Switching in HfO_2–x/La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃ Heterostructures: An Intriguing Case of Low H-Field Susceptibility of an E-Field Controlled Active Interface

Abstract

High-performance nonvolatile resistive random access memories (ReRAMs) and their small stimuli control are of immense interest for high-speed computation and big-data processing in the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) arena. Here, we examine the resistive switching (RS) behavior in growth-controlled HfO 2 /La 0.67 Sr 0.33 MnO 3 (LSMO) heterostructures and their tunability in a low magnetic field. It is demonstrated that oxygen-deficient HfO 2 films show bipolar switching with a high on/off ratio, stable retention, as well as good endurance owing to the orthorhombic-rich phase constitution and charge (de)trappingenabled Schottky-type conduction. Most importantly, we have demonstrated that RS can be tuned by a very low externally applied magnetic field (∼0−30 mT). Remarkably, application of a magnetic field of 30 mT causes RS to be fully quenched and frozen in the high resistive state (HRS) even after the removal of the magnetic field. However, the quenched state could be resurrected by applying a higher bias voltage than the one for initial switching. This is argued to be a consequence of the electronically and ionically "active" nature of the HfO 2−x /LSMO interface on both sides and its susceptibility to the electric and low magnetic field effects. This result could pave the way for new designs of interface-engineered high-performance oxitronic ReRAM devices.

Polycrystalline La0.66Gd0.04Ca0.3MnO3 for magnetic-response applications: concurrent anisotropic magnetoresistance and magneto-transport under a low magnetic field

“…From the practical viewpoint, the properties related to the metal–insulator (M–I) transition temperature ( T MI ), i.e. the significant MR effect, 5 large anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), 6 and a high temperature coefficient of magnetization (TCM), 7 enable the manganites to be used in magnetoresistive random access memories 8 and magnetic reading heads. 9 Usually the mentioned properties of manganites depend on whether the magnitude of an applied field is sufficiently large.…”

Oxygen vacancy and hydrogen in amorphous HfO2

“…Amorphous hafnium dioxide (a-HfO 2 ) is the material of choice for electronic devices, with many promising applications in computer-component microelectronics and non-volatile memory. For example, it serves as a dielectric material in complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor technology due to its high dielectric constant [1][2][3], also playing the essential part in resistive memory devices that store information by forming/breaking conducting filaments [3][4][5][6]. The oxygen vacancy (OV) in a-HfO 2 has the principal contribution to the leakage current in transistors [7].…”

Systematic Evolution of Optical Bandgap and Local Chemical State in Transparent MgO and HfO2 Resistive Switching Materials

“…Among the oxides mentioned before, HfO 2 has been extensively studied and found to have a high dielectric constant (≈25), good chemical and thermal stability, excellent transmittance, wide bandgap (≈5.6 eV), and high refractive index, [ 7 ] making it a competitive contender for both resistive switching oxide and optical materials. [ 8 ] In addition, HfO 2 is convenient for various optoelectronic applications like heat mirrors, energy‐efficient windows, and nanophotonic devices. [ 9,10 ] In addition to that, MgO, a simple ionic oxide, was found to have chemical inertness, optical transparency, outstanding electrical insulation, and excellent thermal conductivity.…”