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Modeling of Diffusion and Incorporation of Interstitial Oxygen Ions at the TiN/SiO2 Interface

Cottom, J; Bochkarev, A; Olsson, E; Patel, K; Munde, M; Spitaler, J; Popov, MN; ... Shluger, AL; + view all (2019) Modeling of Diffusion and Incorporation of Interstitial Oxygen Ions at the TiN/SiO2 Interface. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces , 11 (39) pp. 36232-36243. 10.1021/acsami.9b10705. Green open access

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Abstract

Silica-based resistive random access memory devices have become an active research area due to complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatibility and recent dramatic increases in their performance and endurance. In spite of both experimental and theoretical insights gained into the electroforming process, many atomistic aspects of the set and reset operation of these devices are still poorly understood. Recently a mechanism of electroforming process based on the formation of neutral oxygen vacancies (VO0) and interstitial O ions (Oi2-) facilitated by electron injection into the oxide has been proposed. In this work, we extend the description of the bulk (Oi2-) migration to the interface of amorphous SiO2 with the polycrystaline TiN electrode, using density functional theory simulations. The results demonstrate a strong kinetic and thermodynamic drive for the movement of Oi2- to the interface, with dramatically reduced incorporation energies and migration barriers close to the interface. The arrival of Oi2- at the interface is accompanied by preferential oxidation of undercoordinated Ti sites at the interface, forming a Ti-O layer. We investigate how O ions incorporate into a perfect and defective ∑5(012)[100] grain boundary (GB) in TiN oriented perpendicular to the interface. Our simulations demonstrate the preferential incorporation of Oi at defects within the TiN GB and their fast diffusion along a passivated grain boundary. They explain how, as a result of electroforming, the system undergoes very significant structural changes with the oxide being significantly reduced, interface being oxidized, and part of the oxygen leaving the system.

Type: Article
Title: Modeling of Diffusion and Incorporation of Interstitial Oxygen Ions at the TiN/SiO2 Interface
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b10705
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b10705
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: DFT, ReRAM, electroforming, oxygen diffusion, silicon dioxide, titanium nitride
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Physics and Astronomy
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10084315
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