Behavioral Features of MIS Memristors with a Si3N4 Nanolayer Fabricated on a Conductive Si Substrate

Abstract

The effect of the material of the metal plates (Au, Ta, W) and exposure to a high-power blue laser on the memristive characteristics of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) capacitors with a Si₃N₄ film 6 nm thick fabricated on the basis of n⁺-Si is studied. It is shown that bipolar switching by the current appears only in capacitors with Au. The causes of the absence of bipolar switching in capacitors with Ta and W are explained. The switching of capacitors with Ta by the current and light and the photomemory effect are detected. It is shown that, despite the high doping level of the semiconductor substrate, it decreases the MIS memristor response rate due to a high density of surface states localized at the Si₃N₄/n⁺-Si interface. However, illumination allows a significant increase in the response rate due to a decrease in the semiconductor resistivity. The surface state densities are determined. To improve the frequency characteristics of MIS memristors, it is necessary to achieve a low surface state density.