Metal/organic/metal bistable memory devices

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, cost-effective organic memory device with bistable states, demonstrating similar thermal behaviors to more complex structures, highlighting its potential for practical applications.

Contribution

It presents a single-layer organic memory device with bistability, comparing its behavior to a more complex nanoparticle-based device, emphasizing simplicity and cost advantages.

Findings

Both devices show thermally-activated off-state behavior.

Both exhibit metallic-like on-state conduction.

Single-layer device offers fabrication simplicity.

Abstract

We report a bistable organic memory made of a single organic layer embedded between two electrodes, we compare to the organic/metal nanoparticle/organic tri-layers device [L.P. Ma, J. Liu, and Y. Yang, Appl. Phys. Lett. 80, 2997 (2002)]. We demonstrate that the two devices exhibit similar temperature-dependent behaviors, a thermally-activated behavior in their low conductive state (off-state) and a slightly "metallic" behavior in their high conductive state (on-state). This feature emphasizes a similar origin for the memory effect. Owing to their similar behavior, the one layer memory is advantageous in terms of fabrication cost and simplicity.