Determine the composition and extent of TiOxNy interfacial layers

Determine the exact composition and spatial extent of possible TiOxNy-like interfacial layers at the TiN/SiOx interfaces in TiN/SiOx/Cu/SiOx/TiN memristive devices, to establish how these interlayers influence adjacent oxygen-vacancy concentrations and Schottky barrier properties.

Background

The paper explains that oxygen ions may oxidize the TiN electrodes, producing TiOxNy-like interfacial layers. Such layers could modify the local oxygen-vacancy concentration in neighboring SiOx and thereby alter the effective Schottky barriers governing carrier injection.

Because the interfacial composition and thickness are not resolved experimentally, the model treats the resulting contact asymmetry through effective parameters rather than explicitly incorporating a characterized TiOxNy layer. Determining the composition and extent of these interlayers would therefore improve the physical basis of the device model and its interface-barrier description.

References

However, its exact composition and extent cannot be conclusively determined and require further investigation.

— On the physical origins of switching diversity in Cu-embedded SiO$_x$ memristive devices  (2609.10799 - Yarragolla et al., 9 Sep 2026) in Section 2, “Defect landscape”