Multi-physics transient simulation of monolithic niobium dioxide-tantalum dioxide memristor-selector structures

Self-assembled niobium dioxide (NbO2) thin-film selectors self-aligned to tantalum dioxide (TaO2) memristive memory cells are studied by a multi-physics transient solution of the heat equation coupled to the nonlinear current continuity equation. While a compact model can resolve the quasi-static bu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2017-10, Vol.111 (15)
Main Authors: Sevic, John F., Kobayashi, Nobuhiko P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Computer memory
Computer simulation
Continuity equation
Differential equations
Dioxides
Electroforming
Finite element method
Material properties
Memristors
Niobium oxides
Phase transitions
Selectors
Self alignment
Self-assembly
Tantalum
Thermodynamics
Thin films
Transport
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Summary:Self-assembled niobium dioxide (NbO2) thin-film selectors self-aligned to tantalum dioxide (TaO2) memristive memory cells are studied by a multi-physics transient solution of the heat equation coupled to the nonlinear current continuity equation. While a compact model can resolve the quasi-static bulk negative differential resistance (NDR), a self-consistent coupled transport formulation provides a non-equilibrium picture of NbO2-TaO2 selector-memristor operation ab initio. By employing the drift-diffusion transport approximation, a finite element method is used to study the dynamic electrothermal behavior of our experimentally obtained selector-memristor devices, showing that existing conditions are suitable for electroformation of NbO2 selector thin-films. Both transient and steady-state simulations support our theory, suggesting that the phase change due to insulator-metal transition is responsible for NbO2 selector NDR in our as-fabricated selector-memristor devices. Simulation results further suggest that TiN nano-via may play a central role in electroforming, as its dimensions and material properties establish the mutual electrothermal interaction between TiN nano-via and the selector-memristor.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.5003168