Method for controlling the forming voltage in resistive random access memory devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11700778-B2
Application number	US-202117226495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2021
Priority date	May 31, 2019
Publication date	Jul 11, 2023
Grant date	Jul 11, 2023

Abstract

A method of controlling the forming voltage of a dielectric film in a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device. The method includes depositing a dielectric film contains intrinsic defects on a substrate, forming a plasma-excited treatment gas containing H2 gas, and exposing the dielectric film to the plasma-excited treatment gas to create additional defects in the dielectric film without substantially changing a physical thickness of the dielectric film, where the additional defects lower the forming voltage needed for generating an electrically conducting filament across the dielectric film. The dielectric film can include a metal oxide film and the plasma-excited treatment gas may be formed using a microwave plasma source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device, the method comprising:
depositing a dielectric film directly on a first electrode film, the dielectric film containing intrinsic defects;
forming a plasma-excited treatment gas containing H 2 gas;
exposing the dielectric film to the plasma-excited treatment gas to create additional defects in the dielectric film, wherein the additional defects lower the forming voltage needed for generating an electrically conducting filament across the dielectric film;
thereafter, depositing an additional dielectric film on the dielectric film; and
forming a second electrode film on the additional dielectric film.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing the dielectric film to the plasma-excited treatment gas does not substantially change a physical thickness of the dielectric film.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric film includes a metal oxide film selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional dielectric film includes a metal oxide film selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming a plasma-excited treatment gas includes exciting the treatment gas using a microwave plasma source.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment gas consists of H 2 gas, or H 2 gas and Ar gas.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the dielectric film is about 2 nm and a thickness of the additional dielectric film is about 3 nm.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein both the dielectric film and the additional dielectric film contain HfO 2 .

9. A method of forming a resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device, the method comprising:
depositing a metal oxide dielectric film directly on first electrode film, the metal oxide dielectric film containing intrinsic defects that include oxygen vacancies;
forming a plasma-excited treatment gas containing H 2 gas, wherein the forming includes exciting the treatment gas using a microwave plasma source;
exposing the metal oxide dielectric film to the plasma-excited treatment gas to create additional defects in the metal oxide dielectric film without substantially changing a physical thickness of the metal oxide dielectric film, wherein the additional defects lower the forming voltage needed for generating an electrically conducting filament across the metal oxide dielectric film;
thereafter, depositing an additional metal oxide dielectric film on the metal oxide dielectric film; and
forming a second electrode film on the additional metal oxide dielectric film.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the metal oxide film is selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the additional metal oxide dielectric film is selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the treatment gas consists of H 2 , or H 2 and Ar.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein a thickness of the metal oxide dielectric film is about 2 nm and a thickness of the additional metal oxide dielectric film is about 3 nm.

14. A resistive random access memory (ReRAM) device, comprising:
a dielectric film in direct contact with a first electrode film, the dielectric film containing intrinsic defects, and additional defects created by exposing the dielectric film to a plasma-excited treatment gas containing H 2 gas, wherein the additional defects lower the forming voltage needed for generating an electrically conducting filament across the dielectric film;
an additional dielectric film on the dielectric film; and
a second electrode film on the additional dielectric film.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the dielectric film contains a metal oxide film that is selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the additional dielectric film contains a metal oxide film that is selected from the group consisting of HfO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , NiO, Al 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 , and laminate films thereof.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the treatment gas consists of H 2 gas, or H 2 gas and Ar gas.

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the plasma-excited treatment gas is excited using a microwave plasma source.

19. The device of claim 14 , wherein the additional defects in the dielectric film are created without substantially changing a physical thickness of the dielectric film.

20. The device of claim 14 , wherein a thickness of the dielectric film is about 2 nm and a thickness of the additional dielectric film is about 3 nm.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd
• IBM

Inventors

• Consiglio Steven
• Wajda Cory
• Tapily Kandabara
• Tsunomura Takaaki
• Ando Takashi
• Jamison Paul C
• Cartier Eduard A
• Narayanan Vijay
• Hopstaken Marinus J P

Classifications

• H10B63/00

  Resistance change memory devices, e.g. resistive RAM [ReRAM] devices · CPC title

• H10N70/023 Primary

  by chemical vapor deposition, e.g. MOCVD, ALD · CPC title

• H10N70/8833 Primary

  Binary metal oxides, e.g. TaOx · CPC title

• H10N70/011 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment of multistable switching devices · CPC title

• G11C13/0007 Primary

  comprising metal oxide memory material, e.g. perovskites · CPC title