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Defect-engineered boron nitride memristors with enhanced uniformity and stability for CNN-based image encryption and
Xuan Chen1, Zi Li2, Tingting Guo3
1MIIT Key Laboratory of Advanced Display Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094, China. xiufengsoong@njust.edu.cn.
Nanoscale
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Oxygen plasma treatment improves hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) memristors for reliable resistive switching and secure data encryption. This defect engineering enhances uniformity and high-temperature stability, paving the way for advanced hardware security.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Solid State Physics
Background:
- Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) memristors show potential for resistive switching but suffer from poor device uniformity.
- Existing challenges limit their application in reliable electronic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the device-to-device uniformity and thermal stability of h-BN memristors.
- To explore the application of engineered h-BN memristors in hardware security for image encryption.
Main Methods:
- Utilized oxygen plasma treatment to introduce controlled defects (oxygen-substitutional doping, vacancies) in h-BN.
- Fabricated and characterized h-BN memristors before and after plasma treatment.
- Evaluated device performance, including switching uniformity, SET voltage variation, and high-temperature stability.
- Assessed the generation of true random keys from low-resistance states for image encryption using convolutional neural networks (CNNs).
Main Results:
- Oxygen plasma treatment significantly improved switching uniformity, with a SET voltage coefficient of variation below 6.12%.
- Resistive switching performance remained stable up to 613 K.
- Engineered h-BN memristors successfully generated true random keys, rendering encrypted images unrecognizable (CNN accuracy ~10%) while allowing for successful decryption.
Conclusions:
- Defect engineering via oxygen plasma treatment is an effective strategy to enhance h-BN memristor performance.
- The uniform defects facilitate stable conductive filament formation, crucial for reliable memristive behavior.
- These improved h-BN memristors are promising for high-temperature applications and hardware security solutions.
