Impact of the W etching process on the resistive switching properties of TiN/Ti/HfO2/W memristors

In this work, we investigate the effects related to the etching process of the W bottom electrode (BE) on the breakdown voltages and the resistive switching (RS) characteristics of TiN/Ti/HfO2/W memristors. Two different W-BE etching processes are compared: anisotropic dry etching and isotropic wet etching. In order to complete the analysis, scanning electron microscope inspections are used to investigate the profile of the patterned BE. Finally, the hysteretic current-voltage (I-V) characteristics are simulated using the Dynamic Memdiode Model (DMM).