Title: Emerging non-volatile electronic memory devices from polymers to transition metal oxides

Abstract

In recent years, the interest in non volatile memory (NVM) has shown a rapid increase from both perspective academia and industry. The factors driving this intense interest are mainly attributed to their simple (two-terminal), zero power draw for sustaining a state, high-speed operation, good endurance but also their multi-state capacity. Solid state implementations of these devices show great potential in applications such as: reconfigurable architectures, neuromorphic computing and artificial synapses. Numerous candidates for emerging electronic memory technologies such as ferroelectric (FeRAM), phase-change random access memory (PCRAM), magneto-resistive (MRAM), resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) and organic memory have been proposed and investigated by a number of research groups worldwide. The main functional property of NVM cells is switching between distinct electrical resisitive states on application of distinct SET and RESET potentials, with a state being sensed by an intermediate READ voltage. Current research efforts are focused on determining the physical switching mechanism that facilitates the switching behaviour particular in ReRAM based on transition metals and polymer memory devices. This talk will encompass two of the most investigated non-volatile memories: polymer and transition metal oxide resistive memory. The possible physical switching/charging mechanism(s) along with experimental evidence will be presented in this work. Along with the electrical experimental results, we have also used the chemical characterization tools to further understand the operating mechanism, will likewise be discussed.