Tailoring resistive switching in ultra-thin tellurium films by interface engineering

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Solid State Physics

Background:

• Resistive switching (RS) materials are crucial for neuromorphic and in-memory computing.
• The role of interfaces between active materials and metallic electrodes in RS is often overlooked.
• Scalable, low-temperature growth of active materials on metallic substrates is vital for device fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of gold substrate surface reconstruction on the resistive switching properties of nanoscaled tellurium.
• To explore interface engineering strategies for improving memristive device performance.
• To demonstrate the importance of electrode-material interfaces in device functionality.

Main Methods:

• Vapour transport deposition of tellurium on Au(111) substrates at 100 °C.
• Utilizing conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) to probe resistive switching characteristics.
• Comparing RS performance on reconstructed and un-reconstructed Au(111) surfaces.

Main Results:

• Tellurium grown on reconstructed Au(111) exhibited improved resistive switching.
• Nanoscaled tellurium morphology was influenced by the gold surface reconstruction.
• Reduced set and reset voltages were observed on the reconstructed surface compared to the un-reconstructed surface.

Conclusions:

• Surface reconstruction of metallic substrates plays a critical role in the resistive switching performance of deposited nanomaterials.
• Interface engineering is as important as material selection for optimizing memristive devices.
• These findings offer a pathway for developing high-performance, scalable memristive devices.