Exploring the atomic structure of copper-doped Gd2O3 for the conductive bridging RAM technology

In this study we model the active layer of a conductive-bridging RAM (CBRAM) at the atomic scale. We concentrate our efforts onto a cubic gadolinium oxide c-Gd2O3 doped with a copper atom coming from an electrode (copper-rich) by a redox mechanism. Using ab initio simulations, the formation enthalpies and the specific electronic states related to neutral and charged Cu interstitials are computed, relative to the level of injection of the electrons provided by the electrodes. A scenario is then proposed for the resistive switching of this type of CBRAM.