Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Oxygen vacancies (V O s) are fundamental for oxide resistance switching (RS) devices, while the introduction of V O s in oxides during the fabrication processes has generally generated unfavorable defects which have limited the improvements in RS performance. Herein, a novel strategy, called ex situ V O s doping, has been proposed to increase the concentration of V O s to fabricate improved ZnO RS devices. The ex situ V O s doping process is similar to modulation doping of heterojunctions, where V O s are intentionally incorporated in a separate oxide material and then migrated toward the target materials. Specifically, HfO 2 /ZnO architecture with a thin oxygen‐deficient HfO 2 capping layer is prepared, where V O s in the HfO 2 layer facilely migrated toward the underlying ZnO under applying bias. Theoretical calculations and atomic binding energy analysis have verified the effective ex situ V O s doping of ZnO in the HfO 2 /ZnO architecture. Benefiting from the dominant migration of V O s along grain boundaries, the accumulated V O s around grain boundaries at HfO 2 /ZnO interface provided preferential nucleation sites for deterministic formation of conductive filaments. Accordingly, improved ZnO RS devices have been demonstrated in terms of increased RS window and enhanced uniformity, stability, and endurance. The ex situ doping of V O s using a heterojunction architecture enables multi‐dimensional regulation of the formation of conductive filaments, which will find potential applications in achieving improved oxide RS devices in the future.
Source: Small Methods
Institutions: Jiangsu University, Yancheng Teachers University
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G608630004
OpenAlex ID: W7117296369