In Situ Hydrogen Plasma Exposure for Varying the Stoichiometry of Atomic Layer Deposited Niobium Oxide Films for Use in Neuromorphic Computing Applications.

Niobium oxide (NbOx) materials of various compositions are of interest for neuromorphic systems that rely on memristive device behavior. In this study, we vary the composition of NbOx thin films deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) by incorporating one or more in situ hydrogen plasma exposure steps during the ALD supercycle. Films with compositions ranging from Nb2O5 to NbO2 were deposited, with film composition dependent on the duration of the plasma exposure step, the number of plasma exposure steps per ALD supercycle, and the hydrogen content of the plasma. The chemical and optical properties of the ALD NbOx films were probed using spectral ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and optical transmission spectroscopy. Two-terminal electrical devices fabricated from ALD Nb2O5 and NbO2 thin films exhibited memristive switching behavior, with switching in the NbO2 devices achieved without a high-field electroforming step. The ability to controllably tune the composition of ALD-grown NbOx films opens new opportunities for realizing a variety of device structures relevant for neuromorphic computing and other emerging electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Tunable Electrical Properties of Vanadium Oxide by Hydrogen-Plasma-Treated Atomic Layer Deposition.

In this study, a plasma-modified process was developed to control the electrical properties of atomic layer deposition (ALD)-grown vanadium dioxide (VO2), which is potentially useful for applications such as resistive switching devices, bolometers, and plasmonic metamaterials. By inserting a plasma pulse with varying H2 gas flow into each ALD cycle, the insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) temperature of postdeposition-annealed crystalline VO2 films was adjusted from 63 to 78 °C. Film analyses indicate that the tunability may arise from changes in grain boundaries, morphology, and compositional variation despite hydrogen not remaining in the annealed VO2 films. This growth method, which enables a systematic variation of the electronic behavior of VO2, provides capabilities beyond those of the conventional thermal ALD and plasma-enhanced ALD.