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Epitaxial CeO2 thin films for a mechanism study of resistive random access memory (ReRAM)

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Abstract

A thin epitaxial CeO2 film was grown on a Cu(111) single crystal in order to investigate the mechanism of resistive memory/switching devices with an ultimately thin high-k dielectric film. A small amount of Pt was deposited on the CeO2 film and the Pt/CeO2/Cu structure was characterized by conductive atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that the grown epitaxial CeO2 film was fully oxidized, i.e., the valence of Ce atoms in the film was completely Ce4+. However, after the deposition of a small amount of Pt, it was revealed that Ce atoms were partially reduced to Ce3+ in full thickness of the film. The Pt/CeO2/Cu structure did not show switching behavior in resistance. The observed reduction of CeO2 film is considered to be responsible to the non-switching behavior. The thermodynamics of the reduction of the CeO2 film and the kinetics of oxygen diffusion in the reduced CeO2 film are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Part of this work was supported by the “Charles University—NIMS Joint Graduate School Program.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MANA Nano-Electronics Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science, 3-13, Sakura, Tsukuba, 305-0003, Japan

    Michiko Yoshitake, Michal Vaclavu, Mykhailo Chundak & Toyohiro Chikyow

  2. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, V Holesovickach 2, 18000, Prague 8, Czech Republic

    Michal Vaclavu, Mykhailo Chundak & Vladimir Matolin

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  1. Michiko Yoshitake
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  2. Michal Vaclavu
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  3. Mykhailo Chundak
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  4. Vladimir Matolin
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  5. Toyohiro Chikyow
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Correspondence to Michiko Yoshitake.

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Yoshitake, M., Vaclavu, M., Chundak, M. et al. Epitaxial CeO2 thin films for a mechanism study of resistive random access memory (ReRAM). J Solid State Electrochem 17, 3137–3144 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-013-2200-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-013-2200-6

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