X-ray radiation induced effects in selected chalcogenide glasses and CBRAM devices based on them

Conductive bridge resistance change (CBRAM) memory devices are one of the premier emerging technologies for non-volatile memory. The application of these devices could overlap possible situations where they are expected to perform in environments containing X-ray radiation. This poses the question, how X-ray radiation affects the materials comprised within these devices, as well as the performance of the CBRAM devices. In this work, we studied the structural changes caused by a wide range X-ray radiation over thin Ge–Se films with composition ranging from Se rich to Ge rich, as well as X-ray induced Ag diffusion within these films. The results show that after the cessation of radiation, the Ge rich films undergo considerable structural modification while the other compositions did not exhibit substantial changes. X-ray stimulated Ag diffusion with formation of Ag–Se by-products occurred predominantly in the Se and Ge rich films. These effects influence the performance of the CBRAM devices, based on these films and their I–V characteristics, threshold voltage and endurance are presented and discussed in the context of the materials characterization findings of this work, performed by Raman spectroscopy, Energy dispersion spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.