Enhancement of electrical bistability through semiconducting nanoparticles for organic memory applications

We report that an enhancement in electrical bistability in devices based on organic molecules can be achieved by the introduction of semiconducting nanoparticles. Here, devices based on alternate layers of a dye in the xanthene class and CdSe nanoparticles have been compared with devices based on the individual components. Results from dye/CdSe devices have yielded an appreciable enhancement in electrical bistability compared with those based on the dye or the nanoparticles. The enhancement is due to augmented carrier transport through the nanoparticles to the dye that consequently undergoes a change in its conformation, having a higher conductivity. We have evidenced read-only and random-access memory applications in the dye/nanoparticle hybrid system.