Understanding and improving resistive-switching in hafnium-oxide-based high-k dielectrics for non-volatile memory applications

There is enormous demand for high-density, non-volatile memory but present devices based on charge-trapping technology cannot be scaled much further and new technological strategies are required to meet this challenge. This proposal is concerned with an exciting alternative technology, namely resistive switching, a process in which a thin dielectric film is switched between high and low resistance states by the application of appropriate current/voltage pulses. Specifically, the project aims to understand the mechanism underpinning resistive switching in the technologically important hafnium-oxide based high-k dielectrics and to investigate new and innovative approaches for controlling the switching characteristics of these materials.