Self-Limited Filament Formation and Low-Power Resistive Switching in CuxTe1-x/Al2O3/Si CBRAM Cell

In this paper we show the strong influence of the composition of the Cu-Te alloy on the conductive-bridging RAM operation of Cu-Te/Al
₂
O
₃
/Si cells. The Cu filament generated during forming and set operations requires lower reset current for lower x in the Cu
_x
Te
_1-x
layer. Optimum memory operation is determined for the range 0.5<;x<;0.7, which allows self-limited filament programming using 5μA maximum current operation, highly stable switching observed over more than 103 cycles, and state stability verified up to 10 sec at 85° C. Attractively, the set switching voltage may also be adjusted by modulating the extent of filament erasure during reset operation.