Self-Rectifying Al2O3/TaOx Memristor With Gradual Operation at Low Current by Interfacial Layer

Sneak path current phenomenon in a memristor array based on cross-point structure could lead to crosstalk, which limits its application in high-density large-scale arrays. Self-rectifying devices are the best choice for suppressing leakage currents without compromising the original performance of the device. It eliminates the need for selectors and effectively reduces process costs. In this work, a self-rectifying memristor based on Au/TaO
_x
/Al
₂
O
₃
/TiN is proposed. Nonlinearity of ~236.76 with a sneak current below 1 nA with a tunable conductance under
$1 \boldsymbol {\mu } \text{A}$
compliance current by introducing a rectifying switching mode after constructing the TaO
_x
/Al
₂
O
₃
different stoichiometric stack. Detailed analysis suggested that the interface barrier and the vacancy-related defects in Al
₂
O
₃
are responsible for the special behavior. The effective array scale up to ~400 by readout margin calculation further confirms that the memristor can restrain the sneak current. Our self-rectifying memristor simplifies the device design of subsequent arrays, paving the way for addressing applications in highly compact scenes.