Enhanced Resistive Switching and Synaptic Characteristics of ALD Deposited AlN-Based RRAM by Positive Soft Breakdown Process

Nitride film played an essential role as an excellent diffusion barrier in the semiconductor field for several decades. In addition, interest in next-generation memories induced researchers' attention to nitride film as a new storage medium. A Pt/AlN/TaN device was investigated for resistive random-access memory (RRAM) application in this work. Resistive switching properties were examined in the AlN thin film formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The unique switching feature conducted under the positive voltage was investigated, while the typical bipolar switching was conducted under the application of negative voltage. Good retention and DC, and pulse endurances were achieved in both conditions and compared to the memory performances. Finally, the electronic behaviors based on the unique switching feature were analyzed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the current-voltage (I-V) linear fitting model.