AlScN/n-GaN Ferroelectric Memristors With Controllable On/Off Ratios and Reversible Bipolar Resistive Switching Characteristics

AlScN-based memristors show high potential of non-volatile storage and neuromorphic computing. Here, we report an AlScN/n-GaN heterostructure memristor with a large ON/OFF ratio over $10^{{5}}$ attributed to the coexistence of heterointerface energy band modulation and trap-assisted conduction mechanisms. Unlike typical ferroelectric memristors, the device presents obvious reproducible bipolar resistive switching characteristics without polarization flipping due to the extra trap-assisted conductive path, which effectively reduces energy consumption. Remarkably, multi-level ON/OFF ratios and reversible bipolar resistive switching characteristics can be achieved by regulating the magnitude and direction of ferroelectric polarization, indicating that different operating modes can be achieved on a single device, which shows promise for improving device integration density and information security. These findings help elucidate the resistive switching mechanism and the effect of ferroelectric polarization on device properties, which pave the way for applications of power-efficient CMOS-compatible nitride memristors.