Article
High switching endurance in TaOxTaOx memristive devices
Applied Physics Letters
(2010)
Abstract
We demonstrate over 11010 open-loop switching cycles
from a simple memristive device stack of
Pt/TaOx /Ta. We compare this system to a similar device
stack based on titanium oxides to obtain insight into the
solid-state thermodynamic and kinetic factors that influence
endurance in metal-oxide memristors.
Memristive devices have attracted significant attention
because of their great potential for next generation
nonvolatile memory,1,2 stateful logic operations via material
implication,3 neuromorphic computing,4 and a variety of
complementary metal-oxide semiconductor CMOS/
memristor hybrid circuits.5,6 Accordingly, significant
progress has been made in understanding the physical
operating mechanisms as well as in improving the
device performance,7–22 leading to the demonstration
of nonvolatility, fast switching 10 ns, low energy
1 pJ/ operation, multiple-state operation, scalability,
stackability, and CMOS compatibility for these devices.
However, one of the major challenges for memristors to be
used in a universal memory e.g., replacing DRAM as well
as Flash or as a Boolean computing device is endurance,1,7
i.
e., how many cycles the devices can reversibly and reliably
switch. The endurance values reported in the literature range
from 10 to 1106 cycles and the endurance record has been
1109 cycles so far.19 Here we demonstrate that the endurance
limit of metal-oxide memristive devices has not yet
been reached. We have achieved over 11010 switching
cycles see Fig. 1a in a very simple Pt/TaOx /Ta device
stack while using fixed switching parameters in an open circuit
without any feedback mechanism. The device remains
functional even after 15109 cycles. We have compared
TiOx- and TaOx-based memristors with a similar device
structure and observed a significantly better endurance in the
latter. Based on these observations and the known phase diagrams
for the Ti–O and Ta–O systems, we discuss some criteria
for material selection to achieve high endurance.
Keywords
- memristive devices,
- switching endurance
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter December, 2010
DOI
10.1063/1.3524521
Citation Information
Jianhua Yang, M Zhang, John Strachan, Feng Miao, et al.. "High switching endurance in TaOxTaOx memristive devices" Applied Physics Letters Vol. 97 Iss. 23 (2010) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jianhua-yang/6/