Bae Ho Park

Reproducible resistance switching in polycrystalline NiO films

Negative resistance behavior and reproducible resistance switching were found in polycrystalline NiO films deposited by dc magnetron reactive sputtering methods. Oxygen to argon gas ratio during deposition was critical in deciding the detailed switching characteristics of either bi-stable memory switching or mono-stable threshold switching. Both metallic nickel defects and nickel vacancies influenced the negative resistance and the switching characteristics. We obtained a distribution of low resistance values which were dependent on the compliance current of high-to-low resistance switching. At 200°C, the low-resistance state kept its initial resistance value while the high-resistance state reached 85% of its initial resistance value after 5×105s. We suggested that the negative resistance and the switching mechanism could be described by electron conduction related to metallic nickel defect states existing in deep levels and by small-polaron hole hopping conduction.

Electrical manipulation of nanofilaments in transition-metal oxides for resistance-based memory.

The fabrication of controlled nanostructures such as quantum dots, nanotubes, nanowires, and nanopillars has progressed rapidly over the past 10 years. However, both bottom-up and top-down methods to integrate the nanostructures are met with several challenges. For practical applications with the high level of the integration, an approach that can fabricate the required structures locally is desirable. In addition, the electrical signal to construct and control the nanostructures can provide significant advantages toward the stability and ordering. Through experiments on the negative resistance switching phenomenon in Pt-NiO-Pt structures, we have fabricated nanofilament channels that can be electrically connected or disconnected. Various analyses indicate that the nanofilaments are made of nickel and are formed at the grain boundaries. The scaling behaviors of the nickel nanofilaments were closely examined, with respect to the switching time, power, and resistance. In particular, the 100 nm x 100 nm cell was switchable on the nanosecond scale, making them ideal for the basis for high-speed, high-density, nonvolatile memory applications.

Conductivity switching characteristics and reset currents in NiO films

Conductivity switching phenomena controlled by external voltages have been investigated for various NiO films deposited by dc reactive sputtering methods. Pt∕NiO∕Pt capacitor structures with top electrodes of different diameters have showed increasing off-state current with the diameter of a top electrode and nearly the same on-state current independent of the diameter. Local conductivity switching behaviors have been observed in a series structure consisting of two Pt∕NiO∕Pt capacitors with different resistance values. By reasoning out conductivity switching mechanisms from the switching characteristics and introducing multilayers consisting of NiO layers with different resistance values, we have reduced the reset current by two orders of magnitude.

Resistive switching multistate nonvolatile memory effects in a single cobalt oxide nanowire.

A multistate nonvolatile memory operated at sublithographic scale has been strongly desired since other nonvolatile memories have confronted the fundamental size limits owing to their working principles. Resistive switching (RS) in metal-oxide-metal junctions, so-called ReRAM, is promising for next generation high-density nonvolatile memory. Self-assembled oxide nanowire-based RS offers an attractive solution not only to reduce the device size beyond the limitation of current lithographic length scales but also to extract the underlying nanoscale RS mechanisms. Here we demonstrate the multistate bipolar RS of a single Co(3)O(4) nanowire (10 nm scale) with the endurance up to 10(8). In addition, we succeeded to extract a voltage-induced nanoscale RS mechanism rather than current-induced RS. These findings would open up opportunities to explore not only for the intrinsic nanoscale RS mechanisms with the ultimate size limit but also for next generation multistate three-dimensional ReRAM.

Interference effect on Raman spectrum of graphene on SiO 2 / Si

The intensity ratio between two major Raman bands in graphene is one of the most important information for physics of graphene and has been believed to represent various intrinsic properties of graphene without critical assessment of extrinsic effects. We report a micro Raman spectroscopy study on the Raman intensity ratio of the 2D band to the G Raman band of graphene varying the thickness of dielectric layers (SiO_2) underneath it. The ratio is shown to change by almost 370% when the thickness is varied by 60%. The large variation in the ratio is well explained by theoretical calculations considering multiple Raman scattering events at the interfaces. Our analysis shows that the interference effect is critical in extracting the intrinsic 2D to G intensity ratio and therefore must be taken into account in extracting various physical properties of graphene from Raman measurements.

Friction Anisotropy–Driven Domain Imaging on Exfoliated Monolayer Graphene

Otherwise identical regions of supported graphene can be distinguished by changes in friction with sliding direction. Graphene produced by exfoliation has not been able to provide an ideal graphene with performance comparable to that predicted by theory, and structural and/or electronic defects have been proposed as one cause of reduced performance. We report the observation of domains on exfoliated monolayer graphene that differ by their friction characteristics, as measured by friction force microscopy. Angle-dependent scanning revealed friction anisotropy with a periodicity of 180° on each friction domain. The friction anisotropy decreased as the applied load increased. We propose that the domains arise from ripple distortions that give rise to anisotropic friction in each domain as a result of the anisotropic puckering of the graphene.

Large resistive switching in ferroelectric BiFeO3 nano-island based switchable diodes

O N The demand for non-volatile memory technologies that offer high speed, high storage density and low power consumption has stimulated extensive research into new functional materials and device physics. [ 1–5 ] Nano-ferronic devices based on multiferroic/ferroelectric materials have been emerging as nextgeneration nano-electronics, which deal with the interplay between ferroic orders (e.g. ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism) and electronic transport on the nanoscale. [ 6 ] Recent investigations into various multiferroic/ferroelectric materials have revealed remarkable polarization dependent electronic transport properties, which include signifi cant electroresistance effects in a switchable ferroelectric diode [ 7–11 ] and multiferroic/ferroelectric tunnel junctions (M/FTJs) [ 12–17 ] and intriguing charge conduction in ferroelectric domain/walls. [ 18 , 19 ] These conduction properties can be utilized for fast and non-destructive readout in emergent non-volatile memories such as resistive random access memory (RRAM) and memristor. [ 20 ] Especially, ferroelectric-resistive memories based on ferroelectric diode and tunnel junctions have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve high resistive ON/OFF ratio, high speed and low write power with a high reproducibility by controlling ferroelectric polarization. In a switchable ferroelectric diode, the Schottky-to-Ohmic contacts, forming at the interfaces between metal electrodes and semiconducting ferroelectric thin fi lms, are reversibly

Resistive-switching memory effects of NiO nanowire/metal junctions.

We have demonstrated the construction of highly stable resistive switching (RS) junctions with a metal/NiO nanowire/metal structure and used them to elucidate the crucial role of redox events in the nanoscale bipolar RS. The presented approaches utilizing oxide nanowire/metal junctions offer an important system and platform for investigating nanoscale RS mechanisms of various oxide materials.

Intrinsic Mechanisms of Memristive Switching

Resistive switching (RS) memory effect in metal-oxide-metal junctions is a fascinating phenomenon toward next-generation universal nonvolatile memories. However the lack of understanding the electrical nature of RS has held back the applications. Here we demonstrate the electrical nature of bipolar RS in cobalt oxides, such as the conduction mechanism and the switching location, by utilizing a planar single oxide nanowire device. Experiments utilizing field effect devices and multiprobe measurements have shown that the nanoscale RS in cobalt oxides originates from redox events near the cathode with p-type conduction paths, which is in contrast with the prevailing oxygen vacancy based model.

Nanoscale Lithography on Monolayer Graphene Using Hydrogenation and Oxidation

Monolayer graphene is one of the most interesting materials applicable to next-generation electronic devices due to its transport properties. However, realization of graphene devices requires suitable nanoscale lithography as well as a method to open a band gap in monolayer graphene. Nanoscale hydrogenation and oxidation are promising methods to open an energy band gap by modification of surface structures and to fabricate nanostructures such as graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Until now it has been difficult to fabricate nanoscale devices consisting of both hydrogenated and oxidized graphene because the hydrogenation of graphene requires a complicated process composed of large-scale chemical modification, nanoscale patterning, and etching. We report on nanoscale hydrogenation and oxidation of graphene under normal atmospheric conditions and at room temperature without etching, wet process, or even any gas treatment by controlling just an external bias through atomic force microscope lithography. Both the lithographically defined nanoscale hydrogenation and oxidation have been confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements. Patterned hydrogenated and oxidized graphene show insulating behaviors, and their friction values are several times larger than those of graphene. These differences can be used for fabricating electronic or electromechanical devices based on graphene.