Purely electronic nanometallic ReRAM

Resistance switching random access memory (ReRAM), with the ability to repeatedly modulate electrical resistance, has been highlighted as a feasible high-density memory with the potential to replace negative-AND (NAND) flash memory. Such resistance modulation usually involves ion migration and filament formation, which usually lead to relatively low device reliability and yield. Resistance switching can also come from an entirely electronic origin, as in nanometallic memory, by electron trapping and detrapping. Recent research has revealed additional merits of its mechanism, which entails smart, atomic-sized floating gates that can be easily engineered in amorphous Si, oxides, and nitrides. This article addresses the basic ideas of nanometallic ReRAM, which may also be a contender for analogue computing and non-von Neumann-type computation.