Threshold and memory switching in polycrystalline silicon

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Abstract
Both threshold and memory switching have been observed in very high value resistors formed from undoped low pressure chemical vapor deposited (LPCVD) polycrystalline silicon and of a size suitable for microelectronic application. The resistors undergo a reversible, current-controlled negative resistance transition at a threshold voltage of around 50 V. A slightly higher applied voltage induces the memory switching transition, with a permanent increase in conductance of more than a factor of 106. It is suggested that threshold switching occurs via charge injection that neutralizes grain boundary potential barriers, thereby increasing the carrier mobility. It is probable that the memory switching event is due to the formation of a permanent, relatively conductive filament induced by Joule heating of the material.

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