Tunable Forming Voltage for RRAM Device

An RRAM device, comprising:

• a first dielectric layer disposed on a substrate;
• metal pads present in the first dielectric layer over the substrate;
• a capping layer disposed on the first dielectric layer, covering the metal pads;
• heating elements present in the capping layer over and in contact with the metal pads;
• at least one RRAM cell on the capping layer, the at least one RRAM cell comprising a bottom electrode, a high-κ switching layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and a top electrode disposed on the high-κ switching layer;
• a second dielectric layer disposed over the at least one RRAM cell;
• and
• a contact to the top electrode present in the second dielectric layer.

A method of operating an RRAM device, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing the RRAM device comprising:
• a first dielectric layer disposed on a substrate;
• metal pads formed in the first dielectric layer over the substrate;
• a capping layer disposed on the first dielectric layer, covering the metal pads;
• heating elements formed in the capping layer over and in contact with the metal pads;
• at least one RRAM cell on the capping layer, the at least one RRAM cell comprising a bottom electrode, a high-κ switching layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and a top electrode disposed on the high-κ switching layer;
• a second dielectric layer disposed over the at least one RRAM cell;
• a contact to the top electrode formed in the second dielectric layer;
• applying a voltage to the heating elements to locally heat and crystallize the high-κ switching layer;
• and
• applying a programming voltage to the bottom electrode and the top electrode to program a resistance of the at least one RRAM cell.