A stochastic simulation method for the assessment of resistive random access memory retention reliability

This study presents an evaluation method for resistive random access memory retention reliability based on the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm and Gibbs free energy. The method, which does not rely on a time evolution, provides an extremely efficient way to compare the relative retention properties of metal-insulator-metal structures. It requires a small number of iterations and may be used for statistical analysis. The presented approach is used to compare the relative robustness of a single layer ZrO₂ device with a double layer ZnO/ZrO₂ one, and obtain results which are in good agreement with experimental data.