Dual Plasma-Annealing Based TiO2/TiO2−x Memristors for Enhanced Switching Mechanism

High stretchability and flexibility are essential characteristics for wearable devices that attach to a living body to store data and analyze electrical signals. Memristors, the promising next generation of intelligent semiconductors, are expected to be lightweight and highly integrated by dramatically reducing device size due to its unique characteristics. The non-volatile nature of memristors is expected to be utilized in wearable devices that can store and analyze bioelectrical signals. To improve the resistive switching mechanism of the memristor, annealing process above 400 °C are widely utilized due to the certainty of the process. However, it is difficult to apply high-temperature annealing processes to flexible substrate like polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate. Here, we developed the low temperature Dual plasma-annealing treatment (DPA) process that combines a low-temperature annealing treatment process with an O₂ plasma process for glass/ITO/TiO₂/TiO_2−x/Ag thin film-based memristor devices, and to analyze the effect of this series DPA processes on memristor devices, we fabricated devices with different process temperatures. Also, we measured the enhancement in I–V curve, retention test and different of bandgap and ohmic conduction. The results showed that the resistive switching behavior of the device processed at 160 °C was best enhanced temperature and confirmed that the DPA process can replace the high temperature annealing treatment process and be applied to flexible substrates.

Graphical Abstract

Beom Gu Lee et al., TiO₂ memristors prepared based on sputtering-processes have many advantages, such as the characteristic of resistive switching mechanism, However, these devices require high-temperature annealing, which poses challenges for their application on high-stretchable substrates. This work has shown that the performance of the devices switching mechanism can be improved by subjecting the devices to plasma treatment with low temperature annealing process.