Embedded Resistive Switching Non-Volatile Memory Technology for 28nm and Beyond High-k Metal-Gate Generations

Current bottleneck to the development of advanced 28nm and beyond nonvolatile memory is limited by the further scaling of existing flash memory, e.g., floating gate (FG) and SONOS, as a result of the scaling limit of the tunnel oxide as well as the retention issue. On the other hand, there is a strong demand to develop a memory cell which is compatible with the advanced logic HKMG CMOS generations for the embedded applications. In this talk, we will provide a solution on how to develop a replacement of FG and SONOS memories based on the resistive switching. This switching nonvolatile memory, named 1T NVM, comprises a simple MIM structure on the top of the transistor gate while the readout is taken from the transistor V_th or I_d, similar to that of flash memory. A bilayer MIM is preferable for quality performance. Experimental results demonstrated that this memory exhibits good endurance, retention, and can solve the sneak path, forming issues in conventional crossbar ReRAM. The architecture of this basic NVM is especially useful for the embedded design in high-k metal-gate logic CMOS with 28nm and beyond. It has great potential for both NOR and NAND memory, and in particular for embedded applications.