Stabilized resistive switching behaviors of a Pt/TaO x/TiN RRAM under different oxygen contents (Phys. Status Solidi A 9∕2014).

The resistive switching mechanism has been suggested for the design of oxide‐based resistive random access memory. Typically, oxygen ion drift is the main mechanism of resistive switching. Commercially available electrodes including TiN are preferable for cost‐saving and fabrication‐effective memory mass production. That is why Heeyoung Jeon and coworkers (pp. 2189–2194) studied the self‐compliant (SC) bipolar resistive switching (BRS) phenomenon of Pt/TaOx/TiN geometries under different oxygen fl ow rates. As the oxygen content of the TaOx layer was increased, the device stability was significantly improved. According to X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and I–V results, the SCBRS behavior was led by the TiON interfacial layer. Higher oxygen content might form a more uniform TiON interfacial layer. Thus, the stability of the devices, including I–V characteristics, distribution and power consumption, was improved. To understand the nature of SCBRS behavior in more detail, the authors analyzed the electrical conduction mechanisms. They found that Poole‐Frenkel conduction is the dominant conduction mechanism for SC devices in the high‐resistance state, whereas ohmic conduction dominates in the low‐resistance state indicating the formation of conductive filaments. The cover image illustrates schematically the SCBRS behavior and its mechanism induced by oxygen ion drift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]