# US 7,612,400 B2 · MIM device and electronic apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,612,400 B2 - Document ID: US7612400B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/944,847 - Filed: 2007-11-26 - Published: 2008-05-29 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2007-11-26 - Assignees: Fujitsu Limited - Inventors: Teruo Kurahashi; Hideharu Shido; Kenji Ishikawa; Takeo Nagata; Yasuyoshi Mishima; Yukie Sakita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612400B2 ## CPC - H10B 63/82: {the switching components having a common active material layer} - H10N 70/026: {by physical vapor deposition, e.g. sputtering} - H10N 70/20: Multistable switching devices, e.g. memristors - H10N 70/826: {adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices} - H10N 70/841: {Electrodes} - H10N 70/8833: {Binary metal oxides, e.g. TaOx} - H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract An MIM device includes a lower electrode of a metal nitride film, a hysteresis film of an oxide film containing Nb formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode of a metal nitride film formed on the hysteresis film. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An MIM device, comprising: a lower electrode of a metal nitride film; a hysteresis film of an oxide film containing Nb formed on said lower electrode; and an upper electrode of a metal nitride film formed on said hysteresis film, wherein said MIM device has a hysteresis characteristic in which: a current flowing through said MIM device decreases a magnitude thereof along a first curve when a magnitude of a voltage applied between said upper and lower electrodes is decreased from a first forming voltage of a negative polarity; said magnitude of said current increases along a second curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to a second forming voltage of positive polarity in a positive polarity direction beyond 0V; said magnitude of said current decreases along a third curve when said magnitude of said voltage is decreased from said second forming voltage to 0V, said third curve providing a larger current magnitude than said second curve; and said magnitude of said current increases along a fourth curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to said first forming voltage beyond 0V, said fourth curve providing a smaller current magnitude than said first curve. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper electrode and lower electrodes are formed of a common material selected from the group including MoN, TaN, WN, HfN and TiN. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide film containing Nb contains Nb2O5. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper electrode is formed of a material selectively etched with regard to a material constituting said hysteresis film. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxide film containing Nb has a thickness of 1 mm or more but not exceeding 50 nm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said MIM device further decreases a resistance thereof stepwise in a voltage range near 0V and increases said resistance stepwise when said voltage range near 0V has been exceeded in any of the case of changing said voltage from a negative polarity side to a positive polarity side and the case of changing said voltage from said positive polarity side to said negative polarity side. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The MIM device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said stepwise decrease and increase of resistance is caused with a magnitude of 500 times or more in terms of a resistance value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The MIM device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said current repeats increase and decrease with a first amplitude in a first voltage region and with a second amplitude in a second voltage region of smaller voltage magnitude than said first voltage range including 0V when said voltage is changed from said first forming voltage to 0V along said first curve, said first amplitude being larger than said second amplitude, said current repeats increase and decrease with a third amplitude in a third voltage region and with a fourth amplitude in a fourth voltage region of smaller voltage magnitude than said third voltage range including 0V when said voltage is changed from said second forming voltage to 0V along said third curve, said third amplitude being larger than said fourth amplitude. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The MIM device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said MIM device decreases a resistance thereof when said voltage is changed from said first voltage region to said second voltage region, said MIM device increases said resistance when said voltage is changed from said third voltage region to said fourth voltage region. ### Claim 10 An electronic apparatus, comprising: a substrate; a plurality of lower electrode patterns formed in parallel with each other on said substrate, each of said lower electrode patterns comprising a metal nitride; a hysteresis film of an oxide containing Nb formed on said substrate so as to cover said plurality of lower electrode patterns; and a plurality of upper electrode patterns each formed of a metal nitride on said hysteresis film so as to cross said plurality of lower electrode patterns when viewed in a direction perpendicular to said substrate, each of said lower electrode patterns, said hysteresis film and each of said upper electrode pattern forming a plurality of MIM devices, wherein each of said MIM devices has a hysteresis characteristic in which: a current flowing through said MIM device decreases a magnitude thereof along a first curve when a magnitude of a voltage applied between said upper and lower electrodes is decreased from a first forming voltage of a negative polarity; said magnitude of said current increases along a second curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to a second forming voltage of positive polarity in a positive polarity direction beyond 0V; said magnitude of said current decreases along a third curve when said magnitude of said voltage is decreased from said second forming voltage to 0V, said third curve providing a larger current magnitude than said second curve; and said magnitude of said current increases along a fourth curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to said first forming voltage beyond 0V, said fourth curve providing a smaller current magnitude than said first curve. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The MIM device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said upper electrode patterns and lower electrode patterns are formed of a common material containing any of MoN, TaN, WN, HfN and TiN. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The MIM device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said oxide film containing Nb contains Nb2O5. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The MIM device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said upper electrode patterns are formed of a material selectively etched with regard to a material constituting said hysteresis film. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The MIM device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said oxide film containing Nb has a thickness of 1 nm or more but not exceeding 50 nm. ### Claim 15 A method for fabricating an electronic apparatus, comprising: forming a first metal nitride film on a substrate; forming a plurality of lower electrode patterns each extending in a first direction by patterning said first metal nitride film; forming an oxide film containing Nb as a hysteresis film so as to cover said plurality of lower electrode patterns; forming a second metal nitride film on said hysteresis film; and forming a plurality of upper electrode patterns each extending in a second direction different from said first direction by patterning said second metal nitride film, each of said lower electrode patterns, said hysteresis film and each of said upper electrode patterns forming a plurality of MIM devices, each of said MIM device having a hysteresis characteristic in which: a current flowing through each of said MIM devices decreases a magnitude thereof along a first curve when a magnitude of a voltage applied between said upper and lower electrodes is decreased from a first forming voltage of a negative polarity; said magnitude of said current increases along a second curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to a second forming voltage of positive polarity in a positive polarity direction beyond 0V; said magnitude of said current decreases along a third curve when said magnitude of said voltage is decreased from said second forming voltage to 0V, said third curve providing a larger current magnitude than said second curve; and said magnitude of said current increases along a fourth curve when said magnitude of said voltage is increased subsequently to said first forming voltage beyond 0V, said fourth curve providing a smaller current magnitude than said first curve. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said hysteresis film is formed by a sputtering process. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said hysteresis film is formed at a room temperature. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said hysteresis film includes an Nb2O5 film. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said first and second metal nitride films are selected from the group including MoN, TaN, WN, HfN and TiN, said patterning said first and second metal nitride films being conducted selectively against said hysteresis film while using a resist pattern. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said patterning said first and second metal nitride films is conducted in an Ar gas by an RIE process that uses Cl2 and O2 as an etching gas while using a resist mask.