Fast Electronic Memristors with Improved Retention and Synaptic Functionality Enabled by Tri-TaOx Engineering

18/09/2026

AI Summary

Ty/Tx/Ty tri-TaOx structure enables forming-free electronic switching with on/off ratio 138, rectification ~1.1×10^3, and low cycle and device variability.
Stable retention in both resistance states, on/off ratio >10 for 10^3 s at room temperature and 120 °C, and endurance to ~10^9 cycles.
Fast 10 ns SET/RESET programming, gradual potentiation and depression with low nonlinearity and conductance variation, and symmetric spike timing dependent plasticity behaviour.

TL;DR (AI Generated)

The Ty/Tx/Ty tri-TaOx memristor also exhibits gradual potentiation/depression under an optimal identical-pulse condition of ±2.6 V and 400 ns, with low nonlinearity, low-conductance variation, and symmetric spike-timing-dependent plasticity behavior.

These results demonstrate that the Ty/Tx/Ty tri-TaOx device outperforms previous e-BRS devices as a high-performance electronic synaptic memristor for both artificial deep neural network accelerators and low-power spiking-driven neuromorphic systems.

Basic summary

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2026 Sep 18. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6c14083. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Artificial synaptic memristors require fast switching, stable retention, low variability, and linear conductance modulation, but achieving these properties simultaneously is difficult in electronic bipolar resistive switching (e-BRS) devices. In this study, a tri-TaOx memristor is demonstrated by interposing a defective oxygen-deficient TaOx switching layer (Tx, x ≈ 1.8) between insulating near-stoichiometric TaOy interfacial layers (Ty, y ≈ 2.5) at the electrode interfaces. The optimized Ty/Tx/Ty device exhibits forming-free electronic switching, an on/off ratio of 138, a rectification ratio of ∼1.1 × 103, and low cycle-to-cycle and device-to-device variations. Stable retention is maintained in both resistance states, with an on/off ratio greater than 10 over 103 s at room temperature and 120 °C. Under alternating-current pulse operation, the device is programmed by 10 ns SET/RESET pulses and exhibits reliable conductance modulation. The memory window is maintained up to approximately 109 cycles, followed by gradual degradation and final failure near 2 × 109 cycles. The Ty/Tx/Ty tri-TaOx memristor also exhibits gradual potentiation/depression under an optimal identical-pulse condition of ±2.6 V and 400 ns, with low nonlinearity, low-conductance variation, and symmetric spike-timing-dependent plasticity behavior. These results demonstrate that the Ty/Tx/Ty tri-TaOx device outperforms previous e-BRS devices as a high-performance electronic synaptic memristor for both artificial deep neural network accelerators and low-power spiking-driven neuromorphic systems.

PMID:42757751 | DOI:10.1021/acsami.6c14083

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