Simulating the filament morphology in electrochemical metallization cells

Electrochemical metallization (ECM) cells are based on the principle of voltage controlled formation or dissolution of a nanometer-thin metallic conductive filament (CF) between two electrodes separated by an insulating material, e.g. an oxide. The lifetime of the CF depends on factors such as materials and biasing. Depending on the lifetime of the CF—from microseconds to years—ECM cells show promising properties for use in neuromorphic circuits, for in-memory computing, or as selectors and memory cells in storage applications. For enabling those technologies with ECM cells, the lifetime of the CF has to be controlled. As various authors connect the lifetime with the morphology of the CF, the key parameters for CF formation have to be identified. In this work, we present a 2D axisymmetric physical continuum model that describes the kinetics of volatile and non-volatile ECM cells, as well as the morphology of the CF. It is shown that the morphology depends on both the amplitude of the applied voltage signal and CF-growth induced mechanical stress within the oxide layer. The model is validated with previously published kinetic measurements of non-volatile Ag/SiO2/Pt and volatile Ag/HfO2/Pt cells and the simulated CF morphologies are consistent with previous experimental CF observations.