Journal Article

Electronic two-terminal bistable graphitic memories

Li, Yubao, Sinitskii, Alexander, Tour, James M.

2008

Overview

Transistors are the basis for electronic switching and memory devices as they exhibit extreme reliabilities with on/off ratios of 10 4 –10 5 , and billions of these three-terminal devices can be fabricated on single planar substrates. On the other hand, two-terminal devices coupled with a nonlinear current–voltage response can be considered as alternatives provided they have large and reliable on/off ratios and that they can be fabricated on a large scale using conventional or easily accessible methods. Here, we report that two-terminal devices consisting of discontinuous 5–10 nm thin films of graphitic sheets grown by chemical vapour deposition on either nanowires or atop planar silicon oxide exhibit enormous and sharp room-temperature bistable current–voltage behaviour possessing stable, rewritable, non-volatile and non-destructive read memories with on/off ratios of up to 10 7 and switching times of up to 1 μs (tested limit). A nanoelectromechanical mechanism is proposed for the unusually pronounced switching behaviour in the devices. Carbon-based structures are being intensively investigated for their use in electronic devices. A pronounced non-volatile switching is now observed in two-terminal devices made from graphitic sheets. The highly reliable switching mechanism is explained by the local breaking and rejoining of atomic bonds in the sheets.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: Biomaterials / Carbon / Chemistry and Materials Science / Condensed Matter Physics / Electronics / Materials Science / Nanotechnology / Nonlinear systems / Optical and Electronic Materials / Silicon / Thin films / Transistors