Robust resistive switching characteristics of AlOx CBRAM using simple and cost-effective thermal evaporation process

In this study, we have reported improved CBRAM device performance using a simple fabrication process consisting of thermal evaporation and metal annealing. The fabricated and annealed Al/Cu/AlOx/TiN CBRAM shows 600 consecutive DC cycles of switching at 200 μA with a high ON/OFF ratio of >260, P/E endurance of >1.5 × 108 cycles with 100 ns pulse widths and very stable retention life in LRS at 1.2 V and 1.3 V for >4000 s. Annealing enhances AlOx surface morphology, which results in controlled copper migration, improving the resistive switching properties, especially for the LRS state. Furthermore, the statistical analysis of switching data using the Weibull distribution confirms lower variability for the annealed device due to controlled copper migration.