Memristive behavior in a junctionless flash memory cell

Abstract

We report charge storage based memristive operation of a junctionless thin film flash memory cell when it is operated as a two terminal device by grounding the gate. Unlike memristors based on nanoionics, the presented device mode, which we refer to as the flashristor mode, potentially allows greater control over the memristive properties, allowing rational design. The mode is demonstrated using a depletion type n-channel ZnO transistor grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD), with HfO2 as the tunnel dielectric, Al2O3 as the control dielectric, and non-stoichiometric silicon nitride as the charge storage layer. The device exhibits the pinched hysteresis of a memristor and in the unoptimized device, R-off/R-on ratios of about 3 are presented with low operating voltages below 5 V. A simplified model predicts R-off/R-on ratios can be improved significantly by adjusting the native threshold voltage of the devices. The repeatability of the resistive switching is excellent and devices exhibit 10(6) s retention time, which can, in principle, be improved by engineering the gate stack and storage layer properties. The flashristor mode can find use in analog information processing applications, such as neuromorphic computing, where well-behaving and highly repeatable memristive properties are desirable. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.