ANALYSIS OF RRAM PERFORMANCE UNDER EXTREME TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS

Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAMs) is a promising, emergent non-volatile technology that has been gaining increasing commercial applications [1]-[3]. Unlike in traditional Random Access Memory (RAM) technology, memory states in redox-based RRAMs are defined through variations in resistance across a dielectric. Due to this concrete and physical mechanism of memory storage, RRAM devices show great promise for novel future applications, including in space [4]. RRAM reliability in extreme conditions has yet to be fully explored in order to maximize its potential. In this study, the efficacy of RRAM performance under extreme temperatures, mimicking conditions in space, was quantified. HfO2-based RRAMs were subjected to low temperatures, and the resistive window, the difference between high and low resistance states (HRS and LRS), was monitored to determine functional integrity of the devices as they responded to temperature change. HRS and LRS distributions determine the storage of memory bits. Life cycle tests, which are 50 repetitions of an on/off electric pulse, were performed at varying temperatures (-173°C and from 25°C to 103°C). At temperatures between 25°C and 103°C, RRAMs exhibited a stable resistive window. However, the resistive window was found to collapse at -173°C, resulting in indistinguishable HRS and LRS distributions. Results from this work indicate that the resistive window can be recovered by increasing the time the write voltage was applied. Along with recent studies showing RRAM’s resilience under extreme radiation conditions, this study shows that RRAMs are highly resilient to extreme conditions. Quantifying the reliability of RRAMs and finding ways to better this technology can catalyze RRAM applications in exacting scientific, as well as consumer applications.