Resistance instabilities in a filament-based resistive memory

Resistive random access memory (RRAM) is a promising new non-volatile memory technology capable of operating at low power as well as high speed. Although RRAM is capable of lower energy consumption and substantially more cycles than Flash memory, comprehending and maintaining its ability to store data under stressed conditions remains the key challenge for mainstream acceptance. This in large part is due to the filamentary nature of the RRAM element at the nanoscale. A filament-based resistive memory is based on the formation of current-conducting path (filaments) from defects, e.g., oxygen vacancies. The defects often lead to trap-limited current conduction. Without proper process control or RESET algorithms, unwanted defects may be added near the filaments under device stress, further aggravating the resistance instabilities.