Inrok Hwang

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.

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.

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

Electrode dependence of resistance switching in polycrystalline NiO films

We investigated resistance switching in top-electrode/NiO∕Pt structures where the top electrode was Au, Pt, Ti, or Al. For Pt∕NiO∕Pt and Au∕NiO∕Pt structures with ohmic contacts, the effective electric field inside the film was high enough to induce trapping or detrapping at defect states and thus resistance switching. For a Ti∕NiO∕Pt structure with well-defined Schottky contact at Ti∕NiO interface accompanied by an appreciable voltage drop, the effective electric field inside the NiO film was not enough to induce resistance switching. For an Al∕NiO∕Pt structure with a low Schottky barrier at the Al∕NiO interface, resistance switching could be induced at a higher voltage since the voltage drop at the Al∕NiO interface was not negligible but small.

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.

Different resistance switching behaviors of NiO thin films deposited on Pt and SrRuO3 electrodes

We have compared resistance switching of NiO films deposited on Pt and SrRuO3 (SRO): unipolar switching in Pt/NiO/Pt and bipolar switching in Pt/NiO/SRO. Linear fitted current-voltage curves and capacitance-voltage results show that on- and off-states conductions in unipolar switching are dominated by inductive Ohmic behavior and Poole–Frenkel effect, respectively. However, the conductions of on- and off-states in bipolar switching follow capacitive Ohmic behavior and Schottky effect, respectively. Therefore, we infer that the mechanisms of the unipolar and bipolar switching behaviors in NiO films are related with changes in bulk-limited filamentary conduction and interfacial Schottky barrier, respectively.

Resistive switching transition induced by a voltage pulse in a Pt/NiO/Pt structure

We have observed a switching transition between bistable memory switching and monostable threshold switching in Pt/NiO/Pt structure. Bistable memory switching could be changed to monostable threshold switching by applying a positive electrical pulse with height of 2 V and width between 10−2 and 10−4 s. The change is reversible by applying a negative electrical pulse with the same height and width. By considering polarity- and width-dependence of the switching transition and compositional difference on electrical properties in NiOx, we have proposed a model in which the migration of oxygen ions (O2−) is responsible for the switching transition in Pt/NiO/Pt structures.

Time-dependent electroforming in NiO resistive switching devices

Time-dependent electroforming phenomena in NiO capacitors are investigated. Different current-voltage characteristics between dc sweep mode and pulse mode indicate that electroforming is time-dependent process. Statistical time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) measurements show the exponential dependence of electroforming time on applied voltage, confirming that forming process is not a spontaneous process at some critical voltage, but an upsurge process resulting from stress-induced defects. The statistical TDDB analysis explains not only the nature of electroforming process but also the anomalous forming and large variations in forming parameters.

Electrochemical growth and resistive switching of flat-surfaced and (111)-oriented Cu2O films

Flat-surfaced and fully (111)-oriented Cu2O films were grown through a chelate-assisted electrochemical approach. Based on key roles of chelating agent, the flat surface of films controlled over the columnar-grained growth was obtainable with a root-mean-square roughness value below 3 nm. Cu2O films treated by a rapid-thermal-annealing process at 200 °C exhibited unipolar switching I-V characteristics, presenting the bistable resistance states with a high resistance ratio (Roff/Ron) over 3 orders of magnitude and considerably stable switching properties within 100 switching cycles.

Mechanical control of electroresistive switching

Hysteretic metal-insulator transitions (MIT) mediated by ionic dynamics or ferroic phase transitions underpin emergent applications for nonvolatile memories and logic devices. The vast majority of applications and studies have explored the MIT coupled to the electric field or temperarture. Here, we argue that MIT coupled to ionic dynamics should be controlled by mechanical stimuli, the behavior we refer to as the piezochemical effect. We verify this effect experimentally and demonstrate that it allows both studying materials physics and enabling novel data storage technologies with mechanical writing and current-based readout.