Design of engineered oxide thin films for future micro- and nano-electronic devices – MicroSwitch

The unprecedented growth of digital electronics over the past 50 years has largely been driven by Moore’s Law scaling of silicon integrated circuits, in which there is a dual improvement in device-on-chip density and transistor switching speed as device dimensions are reduced. However, ultimately, there remain limits to scaling down and novel information processing techniques are being actively explored to overcome fundamental limitations associated with CMOS scaling. In the search of new emerging materials and devices, resistance switching effects have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in next generation nonvolatile memories with high density, great scalability and low power consumption. Among all resistive memory technologies, oxide-based resistance switching random access memories (ReRAM) are one of the most promising. However, they still face some limitations in terms of reliability, endurance and resistance at high temperature, which are expected to be overcome through materials in-depth studies and understanding of the physico-chemical processes involved in the switching.

The main goal of this project is to design strain engineered thin films, aiming towards the development of oxide electronic materials with tailored functional properties. In particular, I will focus my research on the synthesis (by injection MOCVD) and the tailoring of two fascinating and intriguing families of layered oxide materials (RE2NiO4+d rare-earth nickelates and REBaCo2O5.5+d double perovskites), both of great interesting from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Moreover, nickelates and cobaltites are particularly promising for their use for synaptic logic, since only materials such as oxides can present different oxidation levels corresponding to different ordering states of oxygen vacancies in the same material, thus addressing different logic-levels.

The materials design and tailoring will be based on the understanding on the resistive switching (RS) mechanisms of selected layered oxides which will be acquired during the course of the project. The fascinating combination of advanced characterization techniques included in this proposal will permit the study of the processes of interest with unparalleled precision and sensitivity, providing a unique understanding of the complex RS mechanisms. To be able to accurately control the RS properties of the device, I plan to acquire a deep knowledge of the relationship between the epitaxial strain, structural and RS and then to demonstrate their effectiveness and application. For this I will transfer the new approaches to real electronic functional devices such as ReRAM memories and neurophoric devices, which ultimately will constitute a step forward towards the validation of these systems.

The research will be mainly carried out by a new group (me, 2 postdocs, 1 PhD student and several trainees) working within the FM2N (Films Minces, Nanomatériaux et Nanostructures) Team in LMGP (Laboratoire des Matériaux et Génie Physique) in Grenoble. My skills and experience bring to LMGP a complementary research profile together with novel and innovative ideas, expertise in state-of-the-art characterization techniques and many international collaborations. This added-value, together with the high quality of the laboratory and the possibility of interaction and collaboration within the high level scientific community existent in Grenoble, will be key factors for successful development of the project. In addition, this ANR @RACTION will help me consolidate my position in a French research institution and achieve the goal of becoming an independent researcher and leader in the advanced functional materials field.